The Host
by Shooshkipoo
Summary: Set early season 3. With Yellow-eyes dead, Sam and Dean thought that particular nightmare was over. That is, until they meet Rachel, a lone hunter with shocking ties to the yellow-eyed demon. RachelXSam
1. Rachel

This story takes place early season 3

The silence was unnerving. Rachel tightened her grip on her knife, and crept into the deserted factory. She was hunting a Djinn, and she didn't anticipate on it being very difficult: she would sneak in, stab the thing and rescue the victims.

_I'm coming Tina,_ she thought. _Just hang on. _

The Impala rolled up to the warehouse. Sam and Dean both dipped their knives in lamb's blood and nodded in silent agreement. Proud though Dean may be, he knew Sam wasn't letting him near another Djinn alone. He couldn't blame him really; his last encounter really screwed him up. They snuck into the warehouse, undetected. They heard footsteps and hid behind a woodpile. Sam peered around the corner.

"Dean, it's a girl." Dean looked around the corner

"Ooh, she's hot." Sam glared at him

"Not the time Dean, we should be finding out what she's even doing here." Still crouched, they followed the girl into a giant room where three people were strung up, the way Dean was. They watched her make a beeline for one particular girl and cut her down. She pulled out the dart and checked the girl's pulse before cutting down the other two victims. With them, she simply pulled out the darts before returning to the first victim. The Djinn entered the room, swiftly making his way to the mysterious girl whose back was turned. Sam and Dean made to go and help her and were stopped in their tracks when she whirled around and slashed at the Djinn with a silver knife.

"She's a hunter?" It was obvious to all three hunters that being cut with a silver knife would not kill the Djinn, but it would slow it down long enough for her to get her friend to a safer place.

Rachel saw two men rush into the room, wielding knives of their own. She somehow knew by instinct that though her presence baffled them, it didn't concern them. They only had eyes for the Djinn, who was on the ground, groaning with pain, but nowhere near dead. They lifted up the other two victims and carried them over to where she stood.

She regarded them coolly before informing them that she had a car outside and gave them the location of the hospital. The taller one shook his head, saying that they had a car as well, and that she should take the victims.

"Don't argue with me," Rachel snapped, "just get them out of here!" The shorter boy looked amused, but said,

"Come on Sammy, you heard the lady." They took their two victims and began to walk towards their car. Rachel knelt down and pulled her friend into her arms. Sam heard her murmur something before lifting her friend's arm over her shoulder. She noticed one second too late that the demon had gotten up and was heading towards her. Rachel turned around to shield Tina just as the knife sliced across her skin. The pulsing blood, the hunter snatched the knife back and stabbed the Djinn in the heart before falling to the ground herself.

Rachel came to in a moving car; she looked up to see the two men from earlier in the front, conversing in low whispers.

"Hey," she said groggily, "did you bring my duffel?" The boy called Sam nodded curtly and said it was at her feet. With efficiency that was not lost on the Winchesters, Rachel patched herself up and put on a clean shirt. By the time they reached the hospital, her injuries looked far less serious than they actually were. She helped carry the people in and gave her statement to the doctors before leaving. Sam and Dean quickly followed her. They didn't need to look far. She had stopped at the Impala and was standing beside it, her forehead resting on the top.

"Um lady? Are you ok?" Dean asked hesitantly. She turned to face them, her green eyes glassy and unfocused. She mumbled a slurred 'I'm fine' a statement that contradicted very strongly with her body language.

Everything went hazy, Rachel felt two strong arms envelop her and help her gently into the car. She was half-conscious for the entire ride, but she wasn't so far out of it that she didn't notice that the guy holding her (His name was Sam right?) was really cute. They reached the motel and Sam helped her out of the car. She was content to let them get her to the door, but they minute she got inside, she requested her duffel and first aid kit. It didn't seem to bother her that there were boys in the room, for Rachel slipped her shirt off like it was nothing. Sam and Dean couldn't help but gape; she was absolutely covered with scars. And furthermore, she had looked down to see a bleeding gash in her side and with nothing more than a 'Goddamn, I pulled a stitch.' She pulled out a needle and thread and began stitching herself up. She hissed in pain each time the needle passed through her body, but Sam and Dean were just impressed at the fact that she was still conscious. The minute she finished, she laid herself gingerly down on the bed and went to sleep. Dean stared at her in shock for a moment before heading to the bathroom himself. Sam was rooted to the spot. He had just watched a girl, who looked about his age, carry another human into a hospital with a large cut on her chest and a wound with a pulled stitch in her side but still chose to leave the hospital and tend to her injuries on her own. Even when they had been standing right there, she had acted as though she was alone. Sam didn't think it had even occurred to this girl to ask for painkillers or any kind of help. He put the sheet over her and sat down on the end of the bed. _What kind of life has this poor girl been living?_

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Rachel awoke to the smell of coffee. She sat up very slowly and was surprised to find herself in a bed, in a motel, with two very good-looking guys packing up their stuff.

"Hey Sammy! Your little friend is awake." Dean sent a roguish smile her way. Sam rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the pink tinge on his cheeks. Rachel tried to stand, but the boys were beside her in an instant.

"Oh no you don't., you aren't going anywhere for a while." Sam gently pushed her back down on the bed before handing her one of his t-shirts. This was when Rachel realized she was wearing nothing but a bra and pants. She blushed, but accepted the shirt.

"Rachel," Sam looked at her in confusion. "My name is Rachel." Dean came out of the bathroom and stood in the doorway.

"Well Rachel, we're glad to see you're ok, but before we let you go anywhere, we want an explanation." Rachel sighed, she didn't really want to go into her deep and dark history, but she figured she owed these guys one. Plus, in her state there was no doubt in her mind who would win if she tried to make a break for it.

"What do you want to know?" Sam and Dean sat on her bed.

"Well," said Sam hesitantly "You can start by telling us who you are, and why you were hunting the Djinn."

"It's a long story," Rachel warned. Neither boy looked like this was a problem, so Rachel began to tell her story for the first time.


	2. Where it all started

Chapter 2

"It started over a year ago. I was at Carleton University, studying to be a psychologist. It was great, my program was interesting, my professors were good, and I was there with Tina, my best friend. My only friend really; I had people to chat with at parties and have a good time with, but I never connected with any of them. Anyway, I was 22 at the time. We were bringing the rest of stuff back to the dorm before the new semester started. I still can't believe how fast it happened. One minute, we were driving down the highway, blasting music and singing along, the next, I woke up in a hospital only to be informed that everyone in the car had been killed. Except for me. They told me that a truck went crazy and rammed into the side of our car. They were shocked that I had survived. But they also told me that my injuries were severe, including a concussion, a broken leg, a broken arm, several broken ribs, and some internal bleeding. Not to mention the mangled mess my face had become.

I don't remember how long I lay in that bed, just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my entire family was dead. Killed in an instant. When I cried, I still remember how the tears burned the cuts on my face. I seriously considered giving up and just letting myself go. But I couldn't leave Tina. I would stay with her when I was healed, she had invited me to, the minute she saw my condition. But that's when it got complicated.

I had been having weird dreams for a while before, but never like this. I dreamed a man was standing at the end of my bed. He looked normal enough, except for the fact that his eyes were yellow." At these words, Sam and Dean sat up a little straighter, their attention entirely focused on Rachel. She didn't ask, but continued, not wanting to lose her train of thought.

"Anyway, the yellow-eyed man told me his name was Azazel. He told me that the crash that killed my family was no accident. Just like my surviving was no coincidence. He said that the dreams I had been having were premonitions; just the tip of the iceberg of things he said I would be able to do if I trusted him. I of course, told him to go to hell. Listening to him talk about what potential I had, how my family would have held me back made me angrier than I have ever been in my life. He vanished, after saying that I would see him again, and that his plans for me would become clear eventually. When I woke up, I knew what I had to do. As soon as I my broken leg was down to a splint, I signed myself out of the hospital and drove away, searching for someway to hunt down Azazel and kill him. I only looked back once, when I thought of Tina. A part of me desperately wanted to go and say goodbye to her, but the other part of me knew that if I saw her again, I would never leave.

By this point, my concussion had healed, the internal bleeding had healed. But the big problem was my arm. I could drive, now that I could finally bend my leg. But it was my writing arm that got broken. So for a while I was stuck saving my information on my laptop and trying to remember it all when I was on a hunt. Of course hunting with my arm out of action probably wasn't that smart, but lucky for me, it healed fine anyway. But I was impatient. I wanted to find Azazel and get revenge, taking whatever chance I could, no matter how much it could cost me, because the way I saw it, the only important thing left in my life was Tina and she was way back in Ottawa, happily oblivious to all this. Well, I don't know how happy she was, her best friend just up and left without saying anything. But I knew I couldn't go back, not yet. I knew that Azazel had to die before I went anywhere near her. I thought that if I didn't let anyone know she was important to me, that they wouldn't bother her. Foolish I know, but I didn't see any other choice. But  
I missed her. I missed everyone, but the things I hunted, they hated me. I refused to bring any danger to them. But it wasn't easy; there was a time when I survived on a fluke. I was hunting a vampire. It found me on the ground, next to its last victim, covered in blood. It must have thought I was unconscious, hell, I almost was, but I managed to stab it in the neck with the silver knife; turned out that its last victim bled on my knife.

I survived purely on luck, it seemed like. I never failed a hunt, but my injuries were often severe. There were times when I would stumble back to my motel or car, patch myself up and then black out for who knows how long. After a while, I almost stopped feeling the pain. In fact, sometimes I think I might have gotten injured on purpose, because I don't dream when I pass out. My normal dreams were terrifying enough, but the premonitions were worse. The migraines almost caused me to black out again, and I can't count how many times I would see someone die, rush to the site and find that I was just a few minutes too late." Rachel paused at the expressions on the boy's faces.

"You're like me." Sam murmured, shocked.

"Sorry?"

"Sam used to have visions too." Dean explained "They were just like yours, he would see someone about to die and a lot of the time, we wouldn't get to them in time." Rachel frowned, noting the past tense.

"Anyway," Sam cut in, "You were saying?"

"Yes, and visions were just the beginning. Soon, I found out I could move things with my mind and I could make suggestions. It wasn't like mind control, the person could refuse if they really tried, but not many did. My powers made hunting easier, but it seemed like the more I used my powers, the more demons I came cross. It was strange; some of the hunts went so well, I swear the demon wasn't really trying. Others went so badly… let's just say first aid is my specialty.

But things got complicated when I got wind of a series of disappearances in Ottawa. My first thought was 'Tina. What if Tina has disappeared?' I didn't know what to do. I had to make sure she was ok, but how would I do that without her seeing me? Tina is a sweet kid, but I'm pretty sure if I randomly showed up at her door, she'd kick the crap out of me for leaving without any explanation."

"So what did you do?" Sam asked. Before Rachel could answer, Dean's cell phone went off. Rachel and Sam looked at him enquiringly when Dean answered it.

"It's the hospital. Says someone named Tina has been asking about the people who rescued her. She wants to know if we know where the girl who saved her is." Rachel blanched. Sam placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Ok, we will be there shortly." Dean hung up the phone. "I told them that we would try to find the girl and bring in her in. And that if we couldn't, we would go to the hospital anyway. In other words, we are going to the hospital. Are you coming with us?"


	3. 2 days earlier

"Tina Montez?" Tina looked up to see two extremely handsome men walk into her room.

"Yes, that's me." She answered quietly. The taller of the two sat down next to her bed.

"My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean. We're the ones who brought you here." Tina jerked up in bed, wincing at the sudden movement.

"Rachel! Is Rachel ok? Is she even alive? Did that thing get her? Where is she?"

"Calm down," said Sam soothingly "Rachel is alive." Tina sagged against her pillows in relief, but it was not lost on her that he said 'alive' rather than 'fine'.

"We would like to hear about the attack, if it's alright with you." Dean sat down next to Sam. Tina nodded.

**2 days earlier**

The doorbell rang.

"Could you get that Tee? I'm a little tied up right now." Tina chuckled, Brent wasn't kidding; he was on the phone with his mother. She headed towards the door, idly wondering to herself when Brent would get the guts to tell his mother that they were engaged. She opened the door, and almost gasped in astonishment. A girl her age was standing in the doorway. Her chestnut hair was tied up in a ponytail, pulling it back from her emerald green eyes that were all too familiar.

"Rachel?" Tina could have sworn she saw momentary panic in the girl's eyes, but she merely replied,

"I think you have me confused for someone else. My name is Alexa Miller," She said, flashing a badge at Tina, "I'm a detective investigating a series of disappearances. Tell me, is Brent McCann here?"

"What do you need to talk to him for?" Tina couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right about this 'Alexa Miller', and she wasn't letting her near her fiancé without a reason.

"I think he knew one of the people who has gone missing. Does the name Ryan Heifer mean anything to you?" Tina's jaw dropped.

"Ryan is gone?"

"Tee, who is it?" Tina turned around to see Brent come up behind her, looking confused.

"A detective; Ryan's gone."

"Tell me, Mr. McCann, When was the last time you saw Ryan?" Brent still looked stunned at the news that Ryan was missing, but answered,

"Yesterday, he and I went to grab a bite and then go to a party at the campus. He stayed till like 11:00 and then said he had to get home cuz he had stuff to do today. I haven't heard from him since." Alexa nodded, writing that down.

"Do you have any idea which route he would have taken?"

"He probably would have taken the shortcut, down by the old warehouse." Alex nodded again.

"Thank you for your time. I will notify you if I find any more leads." She turned to leave, but Brent stopped her.

"Do you think he's ok?" Rachel paused before answering

"I don't know, but I promise to do anything I can to find him." Brent smiled sadly

"Trust that guy to get himself into trouble like this. I've known him since we were five, and he was always doing something stupid." Alexa gave him a sad smile.

"I'll let you know if I find him." She hurried out of the apartment, shutting the door behind her, before she lost her cool.

Tina couldn't get the girl out of her head. 'Alexa Miller' did not feel like a stranger. Her curiosity became too much to handle fairly quickly. She looked at the clock, 5:00 pm, she didn't have to be at the campus until 7:00, she had time to go out and look for Ryan. She had lost her best friend, and she'd be damned if she didn't try to stop that from happening to Brent. She remembered Brent mention the route the passed the old warehouse, so she decided to look around.

She paused outside the door, gathering her courage. Her instincts screamed that this was a bad idea, but she was sure that this was where she would find Ryan. She entered. The inside was even creepier than the outside, piles of flat wood, dripping pipes that made an ominous creaking sound. The sound of someone groaning reached her ears.

"Hello?"

"No…no…where is she? Where's my sister? Oh God…" Tina inched her way towards the sound, pausing when she reached the entrance to a large chamber. Inside, two people, a boy and a girl, were standing, hands tied about their heads, tubes connecting them to bags that seemed to be collecting their blood. A second glance informed her that the boy was actually Ryan. She still didn't recognize the girl. She rushed over to Ryan, realizing that it had been him groaning.

"Ryan? Ryan? Can you hear me?" He barely responded to her presence, he just kept mumbling about his sister. Tina felt a hand grab her from behind, spinning her around; bringing her face to face with a man whose face was decorated by a series of intricate blue lines. He placed a hand on Tina's forehead and in a couple of seconds, she had passed out.

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

She woke up in a bed. She looked around, taking in the desk, the minifridge, the binders, but most especially, she saw that sleeping soundly in the bed across from her was Rachel.

"Rachel? Is that you?" Rachel rolled over, frowning, and mumbled

"Yeah it's me. Who'd you think it was?" Tina's eyes filled with tears. Rachel opened her eyes and sat up

"Hey, what's the matter?" Tina stood up and hurled herself at Rachel, throwing her arms around her and crying into her shirt. Rachel looked bemused, but returned the embrace.

"Did you have a bad dream or something, Tee?"

"Looks like it." Tina mumbled, burying her face in Rachel's shoulder. Rachel, stroked her hair soothingly,

"Whatever happened in your dream, it's all ok. I'm right here, I've got you." Tina was more confused than she had ever been before. Rachel had been missing for over a year hadn't she? Had that all been a dream? Was she dreaming now? But, Tina thought to herself, that's exactly what she used to say whenever I had nightmares. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rachel saying gently,

"You feel kinda feverish Tee; do you feel well enough to go to class?" Tina just stared. Rachel laughed,

"You're so out of it. Yeah, there's no way you are going anywhere today. Want me to make you an omlette?" Tina could only nod. She was here. She was really here. And she was making Tina an omlette like she did whenever Tina got sick. It was almost too good to be true; Brent had never been able to make omlettes. Then she remembered.

"Hey Rach, do you know where Brent is?" Rachel gave her a funny look.

"Probably in his dorm." A sly smile crossed Rachel's face, "Ooh, has he gotten around to asking you out yet?" Tina's eyes widened, her eyes dropping to her hand. Her sparkling diamond ring was gone. She almost started to cry again. What was going on? Had Brent's proposal been a dream too? Rachel saw her expression and said sternly,

"Ok, that's it. You missy, are going back to bed, and sleeping. Understand?"

Tina laid her head down and shut her eyes, drifting off to sleep in a matter of minutes. Soon, she began to dream. She heard Ryan, moaning for his long dead sister. She saw flashing glimpses of two people, strung up in a warehouse room. She saw her feet barely touching the ground. She was strung up too. Where was Rachel? Tina shot up in bed, looking around wildly to see Rachel sitting on her bed and reading one of her textbooks. Rachel looked up, her expression concerned.

"Another nightmare?" Tina nodded, breathlessly. Rachel furrowed her brow, and then got up to get Tina some Nyquil.

"You're having way too many nightmares. What have you been watching?" Tina didn't answer the question. Instead, she asked

"What book are you reading?" Rachel grinned, apparently pleased Tina had asked.

"It's a psychology textbook, only it focuses on all these mythical creatures that schizos claim to see. Like this one," she showed Tina a picture of a man covered in blood, "This is a _rugaru_, a flesh eating monster." She flipped through the pages, looking for another interesting one. A page caught Tina's eye. When she asked about it, Rachel told her it was a Djinn, a creature that could create alternate reality. A memory flashed in Tina's mind. _A man, his face covered with blue lines, pressing a hand to her forehead. Everything going black._

"Rachel, where's Ryan?" Rachel stared for a very long time.

"Probably with his roommate Brent in their dorm." She emphasized the words 'roommate' and 'dorm'.

"But, he disappeared after the big party." Rachel shook her head

"He couldn't have, the big party is tonight." Rachel felt Tina's forehead before adding, "And unless your fever goes down, you aren't going." Tina nodded before drifting off to sleep once more.

She woke up a few hours later, her dreams plagued with images of the Djinn, the people strung up in the room, her feet barely touching the ground, feeling the life slowly drain from her." When she woke up, Rachel was nowhere to be found. She stood up and walked over to the desk to see a sticky note.

_Tee, you seemed to be sleeping pretty well, so I went to my lecture. I should be back at around 6. Don't worry; I'll come right back when the lecture is finished. I won't even stop for coffee. Well I might, but I'll still hurry back._

_Hope you feel better!_

_Rachel_

Tina looked at the clock. 4:30 pm. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had to go explore the warehouse that kept flashing in her dreams. She got out of bed, grabbed what she assumed to be her car keys, and walked out. Finding her car was pretty fun, but when she found it, she was impressed. It was very pretty; a dark raspberry red colour. She threw the car into reverse and sped out of the parking lot. Someone was in danger. Only she knew, and they were at the warehouse.

She pulled up to the warehouse, a sense of déjà vu overwhelming her. Had this been in her nightmare? She walked inside, fighting her conflicting instincts; Ryan was here, but so was the thing that took him. She took the same path she had followed in her dream, which led to the large chamber. She saw Ryan, and the girl she didn't recognize. She was about to enter when she heard a girl's voice call her name.

"Tina? Tina!" She tried to reply, but words failed her. The room spun and flashed crazily, and she awoke with Rachel standing in front of her, her green eyes concerned.

"Tina? Are you awake?"

"Not real…you're not her….I'm…dreaming still…" Rachel reached up and cut the rope the bound Tina's hands. She collapsed into Rachel's arms, barely noticing the tug as a dart was pulled out of her neck. She laid Tina down gently before pulling out the darts of the other people. Rachel returned to Tina, kneeling down beside her.

"Be..hind you…" Rachel whirled, slashing the Djinn with a knife.

Tina barely registered the next few moments, two men entering the room, cutting down the other two people, Rachel barking orders at them. Before she knew it, Rachel had hoisted her up, one arm around her shoulder and started walk out, murmuring soothingly all the while. The next instant seemed to happen in slow motion, when in reality it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. Rachel swiftly pushed Tina behind her, just as the knife slashed across her chest. Blood spurted everywhere, Tina watched helplessly as Rachel, snarling with pain, snatched the knife back and stabbed the Djinn in the heart, before falling to her knees.

"No..." Tina tried to crawl towards her, "Rachel? Rachel…" She fell, a wave of black consuming her. The last thing she saw was Rachel's bloody form lying on the ground.

**Present day**

"And then I woke up here." Tina finished her story and watched the expressions on their faces. They both looked solemn.

"I need to know, where she is. I have to make sure she's ok. If she dies because of me…" Tina trailed off, tears running down her face. Sam shot a significant look at Dean.

"Tina we-" Dean nudged Sam and he stopped mid-sentence. They looked towards the door and smiled. Tina whipped her head around to face the doorway.

Rachel entered the room, her eyes rimmed with red, but she managed a small smile.

"Hey Tina…"


	4. Say Goodbye

"_I need to know, where she is. I have to make sure she's ok. If she dies because of me…" Tina trailed off, tears running down her face. Sam shot a significant look at Dean._

"_Tina we-" Dean nudged Sam and he stopped mid-sentence. They looked towards the door and smiled. Tina whipped her head around to face the doorway._

_Rachel entered the room, her eyes rimmed with red, but she managed a small smile._

"_Hey Tina…"_

Tina shook her head, as though to clear her vision.

"Rachel?" she asked weakly, "Is it really you?" Rachel nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. In a few short strides, Rachel had reached the hospital bed and embraced Tina as tightly as she could without making Tina's injuries worse. Sam and Dean watched as both girls began to cry, tears falling freely down their faces. Tina buried her head in Rachel's shirt. _It's real this time. She's really here!_ She heard Rachel manage to mumble through her tears,

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." After what seemed like an eternity, Tina raised her head, brown eyes meeting green.

"How much did you hear?"

"Everything," Rachel whispered, "I was just outside, the entire time." Then, in the most affectionate tone Sam and Dean had ever heard, Tina said

"If I wasn't so happy to see you, and I could move, I'd punch your lights out." Rachel gave a watery laugh, wiping her eyes. Tina laughed a little too, but then became serious.

"Since I can't punch you, you can make it up to me by telling me where you've been for the past year. I thought you were dead!" Tina cried, suddenly angry. Sam nodded to Dean, and they both stood up.

"We're going to check on Ryan and the other girl. We are associates of…?"

"Alexa Miller." Dean nodded, giving a sexy smirk to Tina before walking out. Both girls distinctly heard Sam say,

"You know she's engaged right?"

Rachel sighed mournfully. _Engaged…_

"Rach?" she looked up "Answer the question." Rachel sighed; she had never been able to deny Tina anything. For the second time that day, Rachel relived her past to Tina, leaving out some of the gory details she had included the first time, such as the intentional injuries and the psychic powers. She didn't want to tell Tina anything more than she needed to know. By the end of it, Tina was crying again.

"I was so afraid that you wouldn't make it. That I was too late…" Rachel wiped her eyes again.

"I disappeared because I thought it would protect you. The further away I was, and the less the demons knew about how close we were, the safer I thought you would be." She glared at Tina.

"How could you go into that warehouse alone?" Tina stiffened; she had expected this, but it didn't make her any less annoyed.

"Says you, miss kamikaze demon hunter. You went in there alone, just like every other hunt you did." She shot back.

"I had to save you!"

"I had to save Ryan! For Brent's sake too, it's not exactly fun to lose your best friend! I should know." She knew that was hitting below the belt, but right now she didn't care. Just because they had been apart for over a year didn't mean she was going to put up with being treated like a child.

Rachel and Tina stared at each other for a couple of minutes, neither one willing to look away. Finally, Rachel stood up.

"I should go." Tina dropped the argument like a hot potato.

"What? Why?" Rachel sat back down, looking wearier than she ever had during her story.

"Don't snap at me," it sounded more like a command than a request, "but I'm a magnet for danger. The Djinn, that's only one out of hundreds of demons and evil creatures out there. Most of them want me dead, and they aren't above blackmail." She took Tina's hand, her expression pleading,

"If they found you, found out how important you are to me, they could get me to do anything. I would die to keep you safe. That's why I have to go. I can't stay, they would find you eventually. You can't come with me; you have your own life to live. This is the only way." Tina bowed her head, trying to control the tears.

"Will I ever see you again?" her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Probably not." Tina gave a small whimper and threw her arms around Rachel's neck. They held on to each other for a couple more minutes, but all too soon, Rachel knew she would have to let go. She drew back slowly, gently prying off Tina's grip on Sam's shirt. She put a hand on Tina's face, her heart almost breaking when Tina leaned in to her touch.

"Be happy. That's all I want." Tina was at a loss for words. What could she say? 'I love you?' Rachel knew that, that's why it was so hard for her to leave. 'Be careful?' Rachel just didn't do careful. So she said the only thing she could think of.

"Ok." Rachel smiled and began to walk away. Each step felt like she was walking on knives. She didn't look back this time; she couldn't.

She walked as fast as she could out of the hospital and towards her car that the boys had been kind enough to retrieve for her when she had blacked out. She was about to get inside when she heard Sam call her name. She brushed the tears impatiently away as the boys walked over to her. Sam saw her expression and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You ok?" Dean asked gruffly. Rachel could only nod, more grateful to these boys than she had ever been to anyone else.

"Good. Now tell us, what are you going to do now?" Rachel furrowed her brow.

"Say thank you for all your help and drive away?" Sam and Dean exchanged another glance.

"If you don't want to go back to being alone, you could always come with us." She looked at Sam, surprised.

"You mean it?" They both nodded. "Are you sure? I'm bossy and I'm a pain in the ass, just ask Tina. No don't ask Tina." Sam raised a hand to cut her babbling.

"You think you're bossy? Watch this: You're coming with us and that's it. Grab your stuff and let's go." Rachel gaped. Dean burst out laughing. He turned and headed towards the Impala, trying to stifle his chuckles. Sam fought to keep a straight face, a pink tinge staining his cheeks. When Rachel regained her composure, she laughed, wiped her eyes once more and began unloading her car. Sam looked shocked. She was listening to him? He stood there, dumbfounded before asking her if there was anything he could do to help. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she handed him her two duffel bags and her first aid kit. She watched him make his way back to the Impala where Dean was still chuckling. It took her a moment to realize that she was staring. One look at Dean told her that he noticed too. Rachel looked down and blushed. She was acting like a schoolgirl, she thought, while unloading her weapons into another bag. Hunters don't act like giddy schoolgirls. She snuck another look at Sam. _Then again, maybe hunters don't have to be strong all the time either._ She slid into the backseat, and closed her eyes; almost relaxed for the first time in months.


	5. It's about time

**1 Month later**

Rachel cast a lazy eye over Dean's pool game. From what she could tell, he was winning; which was good for them. Having legally gained money was always helpful. He saw her watching and gave her a suave smile. Rachel smirked right back and went back to her beer. She and Dean had become buddies; sexy smiles and winks were all a game. They flirted, they joked around and they got drunk together, attempting to get Sam joined in the fun. _Sam…_ Rachel almost sighed out loud, but quickly realized that the very guy she had been daydreaming about was sitting right next to her.

Sam was sitting at the bar, reading Dad's journal for the umpteenth time and drinking a light beer. Dean he was used to, but it was a little disconcerting to stick with light beer while Rachel could down whisky like a champ. He knew, he'd seen her win $50 bucks because some guy challenged her to a drinking contest. Truth be told, Rachel made him nervous. He was normally pretty calm about girls, shy yeah, but not to the extent that he was tripping over his words and worrying that he wasn't manly enough. His brow furrowed in annoyance. Rachel and Dean got along so well, joking around and having fun; he was always the party pooper.

"Sam?" a soft voice inquired, "You ok? You look kinda mad." _Shit._

"N..uhh, nothing. It's nothing" Rachel was about to reply when a busty blond made her way over to Sam.

"Hey sweetheart," she crooned running her dainty fingers along his arm, "How's it going?" Rachel fought the urge to clench her fists. Instead she contented herself with how uncomfortable Sam looked at the attention. She was guessing that he was trying to tell her to go away without being an ass. She decided to spare him; particularly since her hand was working its way up his leg.

"Hey sweetheart?" she said in a mock-sweet voice, "Would you mind getting your nasty hands off my boyfriend? Sam's uncomfortable expression changed to one of complete surprise. The girl on the other hand looked pissed. She strode over to Rachel, placing her hands on her hips.

"Really?" she sneered, "And what is he doing with someone like you?" Rachel stood up, annoyed to find that the girl was at least half a head taller than her. And that last remark, it was a stab at her scars; Rachel was sure, so with a sneer to rival Blondie's, she shot back,

"He likes me, not my rack." Blondie looked affronted, so Rachel continued "I know, sometimes, guys actually do talk to your face, but sorry; they only do it if you have something interesting to say." All Sam could do was stare; he'd seen catfights before in movies, but never in real life; and never over him. Then it occurred to him: he had two hot girls bitching each other out over him. Dean would be proud, but Sam knew he had to get Rachel out of there before she started throwing punches.

"You know, I can't really see what anyone would want to do with such a control freak. If he really wanted me to leave, he would have said so." Rachel's eyes narrowed, but she said smoothly,

"Nah, I got me a real oddball: he talks to my face and doesn't treat girls like crap. But unfortunately, he likes girls with brains."

"Well, if you're going to look like the bride of Frankenstein, you might was well have brains, since beauty isn't really an option." Sam chose this moment to intervene, as Rachel had an expression similar to the one she wore while hunting; kill now, ask questions later.

"Come on babe," he said, playing up the boyfriend thing a bit, "let's get back to the motel." Rachel shot Blondie a disgusted look, but allowed Sam's arm to snake around her waist and lead her towards the pool table.

"We're going back to the motel, ok Dean?" Dean looked up and started to make a suggestive comment, but he noticed Rachel's expression. So he just shrugged and went back to his game. The pair walked out of the bar. The minute they were out of Blondie's sight, Rachel ducked out of Sam's grip and started to curse under her breath so quickly it almost sounded like a snarl.

"Rachel?" he asked tentatively. It was a bad idea; Rachel whirled around and snapped,

"Thanks for your support in there by the way! Just sitting there staring while the stupid blond bitch tore me to shreds. Oh look, another joke at my scars."

"Oh I'm sorry, I was just waiting for you to stand up, announce that you're my girlfriend and then get into a fight with a random girl."

"Because you were clearly enjoying being felt up." Sam stared at her, a look of understanding dawned on his face.

"Rachel," he paused, his face splitting into a smile, "were you _jealous_?" To his satisfaction, Rachel turned bright red.

"No!" she snapped, a little too loudly, "I just wanted to ask you something and the stupid whore wouldn't go away!"

"And that required your pretending that you're my girlfriend? I thought you would just tell her to piss off." Now it was Rachel's turn to gape. Yes, that probably would have been a slightly less messy way to handle it… she ducked her head, her anger dissipating to embarrassment. She might as well have screamed 'I love Sam Winchester' to the entire bar after that little stunt.

She spun around and marched back to the hotel. At least she tried to; she had barely taken two steps when she felt a hand grab her arm and gently turn her around, bringing her quite literally face to face with Sam Winchester. Rachel was stunned for a second before she finally clued in that Sam was kissing her. Naturally, the only thing to do was put a hand on his neck and bring him closer. He responded by pushing her up against the wall and running his hands through her hair.

They broke apart only when oxygen became required. Panting slightly, Sam leaned forward, and barely brushing her lips he whispered,

"By the way, you can pretend to be my girlfriend any time you want. It doesn't particularly bother me." Rachel grinned before possessively pulling Sam in for another kiss. Neither had any idea how long this kiss lasted, but eventually a low whistle got both of their attention. Dean stood on the sidewalk looking amused.

"Well, glad to see you two worked things out. By the way Sam, you owe me ten bucks. I TOLD you she liked you." Rachel grinned at Sam; he was now the same colour as a tomato. Chuckling, she took him by the hand as the three of them walked back to the motel.


	6. William Keller

"_By the way, you can pretend to be my girlfriend any time you want. It doesn't particularly bother me." Rachel grinned before possessively pulling Sam in for another kiss. Neither had any idea how long this kiss lasted, but eventually a low whistle got both of their attention. Dean stood on the sidewalk looking amused. _

"_Well, glad to see you two worked things out. By the way Sam, you owe me ten bucks. I TOLD you she liked you."_

That was two months ago, but Sam remembered it like it was yesterday. But, they were on a hunt, Sam reminded himself, turning his focus to the laptop in front of him. Apparently, some guy had been kidnapping girls, locking them in a cabin out in the forest and then getting creative with a chainsaw. It had been decided that Rachel and Dean would go interrogate witnesses (if there were any) and then look for the cabin. He had almost protested, because the spirit was targeting females, but he knew that voicing his concern would be an insult to both Rachel and Dean's hunting skills. Rachel, as she had amply proved over the last few months could more than hold her own during a hunt.

After a few minutes, he found a record that fit their situation: William Keller, born 1963, died 2002. Cause of death, neck severed by a chainsaw. Lived in a cabin in the forest with his wife, Clara. Sam rubbed his temple, running through scenarios in his mind. Had William Keller had marital problems? Was he killed by his wife? If so, why had she done it? At that moment, Sam's cell went off. He picked it up and flipped it open, only to be greeted by Dean's frantic voice.

"We found the cabin," Sam would have been glad at the news, if it hadn't been for Dean's tone.

"Dean," Sam's voice was dangerously low "What happened?"

"Rachel is missing."

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Sam hotwired a car and reached Dean in record time. Not bothering to park straight, he pulled over to the side of the dirt road and jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

"What happened?" he demanded, his voice coming out rougher than intended. He wasn't angry at Dean; he was just worried out of his mind.

"We found the cabin, and we started walking towards it. I was walking just a little bit in front of her. I heard her say that she had a bad feeling about the place, and then I saw this movement out of the corner of my eye. When I looked back, Rachel was gone; vanished without a trace." Sam swore under his breath. _Oh_ _God…Rachel…_"I'm so sorry Sam; I swear I looked away from her for less than a second."

Sam struggled to compose himself, freaking out would not help anyone.

"I have a theory of who this guy is: William Keller, died after his neck was severed by a chainsaw. I think he targets girls because he was killed by his wife." Dean nodded.

"A vengeful spirit makes sense." Dean and Sam locked eyes, and Dean could see the indecision on his face. "Go find Rachel, I'll look for the corpse" Sam smiled before pulling out his shotgun and heading off into the forest.

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Rachel came to just as suddenly as she had blacked out. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. The room was made of musty smelling wood that seemed to constantly creak. It was dark; her only source of light was a single flickering light bulb dangling in the centre of the room. She however, was sitting on the dusty floor with her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound together. She almost jumped out of her skin when a she heard a small groan from the opposite corner to her.

"Who's there?" Silence. Rachel took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could,

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of here ok?" She heard a whimper of acknowledgement. Rachel shifted a little, trying to find her knife. _Got it!_ She thought triumphantly, before beginning to saw away at the rope. She heard footsteps, gradually getting louder. The girl that Rachel still couldn't see began whimpering again.

The door burst open and the girl screamed. Rachel fought to keep silent and keep trying to cut the rope without drawing attention to herself. It wasn't easy; William Keller looked like your average hillbilly from the neck down; dressed like a lumberjack with big klunky boots. But it was his face that was terrifying, a straggly beard, wild bloodshot eyes and a gaping gash in his neck that still seemed to pulse blood. The girl screamed and thrashed in her bonds as he flicked the switch on the chainsaw he held. She could hear him speaking, but she couldn't make out the words. To her horror, she heard the girl scream until it faded to a gurgle. Keller didn't seem satisfied; he kept slashing, laughing manically all the while. Rachel forced herself not to throw up, but continue cutting. _Damn, this was a strong rope…_ She tried to look over her shoulder, to try and see her progress. When she looked back, William Keller was only feet away, leering down at her with a big smile on his face.

He picked her up, slamming her against the wall before letting her drop again. Rachel winced as the impact dug her knife into her wrists. Keller knelt down, took her chin in his bloody hands and looked into her eyes. Rachel stared defiantly back.

"I'm not evil you know." Rachel narrowed her eyes as Keller continued, "I'm trying to help out the men in the world." Rachel stayed stubbornly silent, keeping a straight face when she felt the rope slide away. He leaned closer, and began to say something, but before he could speak, Rachel snatched her shotgun out of the waistband of her jeans and fired a round of rock salt into his forehead. He dissipated with a scream of rage. Rachel made quick work of the rope around her ankles and stumbled out of the room and up the stairs.

Sam rubbed his head out of pain and frustration. He had heard a girl screaming, a man laughing, and the horrible sound of a chainsaw against flesh. When he had tried to reach the sound, the floor had caved in under his feet. He had fallen straight into a room full of rotting animals, spraining his ankle during the landing. He got to his feet, wincing, but determined to end this guy once and for all.

He stumbled into a room, with a single light bulb illuminating it. He pulled out his own flashlight and flicked it on. The beam fell on a bloody mass on the ground and Sam had to fight back the bile when he saw something that looked suspiciously like dark brown hair attached to what was left of a head. _No…please don't let it be her…_ Suddenly, Sam felt a presence behind him and whirled around just as a fist connected with his face.

The blow was enough to send him across the room, slamming him into the wall. Spitting the blood out of his mouth, he looked up at the man he presumed to be William Keller. In a few short strides, Keller had crossed the room and pulled Sam up by the hair, punching him in the face again for good measure.

"You killed her," Sam growled, barely containing his fury. Keller smiled,

"You ought to be thanking me," he said calmly. "Women are evil creatures. That girl, she would have abandoned you, betrayed you, and left you for dead!" He backhanded Sam again, "I just got rid of her before she could. I loved my wife more than anything, and she repaid me by severing my neck with my own chainsaw! That girl was no good; I just killed her before she could kill anyone else!" Keller laughed at Sam's furious glare. A gunshot rang in the air, cutting Keller's laugh up short. He turned around to see Dean, standing in the doorway with a shotgun in his hand, his expression livid.

Keller dropped Sam to the ground.

"Another ungrateful man who doesn't appreciate the good I'm doing?" He started forward, but he had barely taken two steps when he began to scream, his arm set alight. Within seconds, his whole body was aflame. Dean darted past him to help Sam to his feet. Keller gave one last scream before he crumbled into dust.

"Sam? Sammy? You ok?" Sam shook his head slowly,

"My ankle, and Keller," he paused, trying to compose himself again. Dean looked concerned,

"What's wrong Sammy?"

"Keller killed Rachel." No sooner had he spoken the words when a frantic female voice came from the doorway.

"Is he ok?" Sam looked up, hardly daring to believe it: there was Rachel, standing in the doorway looking terrified, scratched up, but very much alive. Dean nodded, whereas Sam could only stare. She ran to him, putting her hands on his face, making frantic enquiries about what happened. Sam couldn't respond; he was too busy enjoying the sound of her voice.

Sam felt Rachel hoist one of his arms over her shoulder, Dean taking the other. Together, they walked out of the cabin and away from the remains of William Keller. They headed towards the Impala in exhausted silence. Only when Sam heard Rachel offer to drive that he realized that Dean was injured; his face and arms were covered with scratches, a particularly large one still lazily dripping blood. Sam's eyes widened; he hadn't even noticed. Dean tossed Rachel the keys and got into the backseat, pulling Sam with him. Rachel slid into the driver's seat and headed back to the motel without saying another word.

They reached the motel, but this time, Sam didn't need to be helped; the car drive had helped bring him back to reality. Dean called the bathroom before Rachel or Sam could. Rachel rolled her eyes good-naturedly and got out the first aid kit.

"Sit." It was the first thing she had said in almost half an hour. Sam sat. Rachel gently took Sam's head in her hands and began searching for any lumps. She prodded a sore spot and Sam hissed in pain.

"Sorry," her tone was softer this time. Satisfied that all she could find were bruises, she turned her attention to the blossoming bruise on his jaw and his split lip.

"Dean figured out what Keller's story was." Sam raised his eyebrows as a sign for her to continue.

"Turns out that he and his wife had a bit of a fight before Keller went out logging; by the looks of it, he slipped forward onto his chainsaw. But the last thing he saw was his wife standing over him, holding the chainsaw. Dean figures that he must have thought that Clara did it on purpose, because of the fight. She ended up killing herself." Sam lowered his eyes, this sort of thing wasn't new to him, but it still made him sad.

"When Keller had me, he kept saying that he wasn't evil, that he was actually trying to help the men in the world. Did he ever go into detail about what he meant?

_She would have betrayed you, left you for dead!_

"No." Rachel sighed,

"I dunno; he kept implying that I was the evil one." She shook her head, and placed a soft kiss on Sam's lips before heading to the bathroom to bark at Dean to hurry up.

_She would have abandoned you, betrayed you, and left you for dead! _


	7. Strategy

"That's it Sam! You and I are talking." Sam looked up from his laptop to see Rachel standing before him, arms folded across her chest, covering the AC/DC logo.

"About what?" Rachel sat down.

"About why you've been acting weird for the last three days." Sam was about to deny it, but he knew that he had been. He was just playing innocent.

"Talk to me. Please?" Her bright green eyes were pleading. "You've been acting weird ever since the hunt with Keller." Sam sighed; he was not going to get out of this easily. So he did the only natural thing to do; stall.

"Where's Dean?"

"Getting lunch. Now answer me." Actually, Dean had offered to go get lunch just so Rachel could confront Sam. He figured she'd have a better 'strategy' for getting him to talk. Rachel had rolled her eyes at his wording. But Sam didn't need to know that they had planned this.

Sam didn't know what to do. He knew he'd been acting weird, but even he wasn't quite sure why. Well, he knew why he was thinking it, but he didn't know why Keller's words were bothering him so much – the man was clearly delusional. He was a bit startled to see that Rachel was now inches away from his face.

"What did Keller say to you?

"I told you, nothing"

"And you lied. Now spill." Sam sighed again in resignation.

"Alright, he did tell me something," He paused, "this was after I walked into the room and found that poor girl cut into pieces. I thought she was you." Rachel's eyes widened. _Well, that explains why he's been so protective lately, but it doesn't explain why he won't come near me anymore. _

"When I thought Keller had killed you, I freaked. But he slammed me against the wall and said that he did me a favour by murdering you" Rachel nodded; a crease in her brow.

"He said, that you would abandon me, betray me, and," Sam swallowed. Rachel kept her eyes locked on him, waiting for him to finish.

"He said that you would end up killing me." Rachel's jaw dropped. _I could kill that demon all over again._ Rachel took Sam's face in her hands and said sternly, emphasizing every word.

"I love you." Sam's eyes widened, but she continued, "And I would never, _never_ betray you. Do you understand me?"

Sam pulled Rachel close and kissed her with all the passion that had built up over the past three days. When they broke apart, they were lying on Rachel's bed, Rachel's hands entwined in Sam's hair, his hands on her hips as he looked down at her.

"Well," she panted "do you understand me?" Sam smirked,

"I understand perfectly." Rachel smiled and pulled Sam's mouth to hers again, his hands moving towards the bottom of her shirt…

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Dean knocked on the door. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but he HAD left Rachel and Sam alone for at least an hour and a half. And there were things Dean just didn't need to see. Rachel opened the door, her face flushed red and her hair disheveled.

Dean bit back a laugh; he didn't see any need to tell her that her shirt was inside out quite yet.

"Well, I see you two worked things out." Rachel bit her lip and nodded, barely containing her grin. Friends though she and Dean may be, she got the feeling that he wasn't particularly interested in the details.

"So what was the problem?" Rachel stepped aside to let Dean in the room.

"Turns out the Keller bastard convinced him that I was going to betray him, just like he thought his wife had." Dean frowned,

"And he let something like that go to his head?" Dean gave Rachel a hard look, as though he was searching her soul for the answer to a question he didn't know how to ask. He compensated by saying coolly,

"You know, we should sue the Laundromat, they messed up your shirt." Rachel looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"The AC/DC logo is all faded." Rachel looked. She could have died on the spot, but Dean just chuckled and walked past her, ruffling her hair as she did so. Dean would have described Rachel as a little sister, but after this, considering her a sibling would be a just a little disturbing.

Sam came out of the bathroom, in just his jeans. When he saw Dean, his face turned red. He hadn't been expecting that. But Dean just gave him a look that plainly said, _Dude, I already know. Chill out._ Sam gave him a sheepish smile,

"What did you bring for lunch? Subs. Of course. Sam sat down, while Rachel hurried into the bathroom to fix her shirt, her face still bright red. Dean sat down, a smirk on his face.

"What?" Dean's smirk intensified.

"Oh nothing, it's just," he grinned "now Rachel owes me ten bucks." Sam raised his eyebrows in confusion, and then his jaw dropped as realization hit him.

"You made a bet with her about…that?"

"Yep," Dean snorted, "and she said that she wouldn't end up using her 'strategy' to get you to talk." Sam gulped like a fish out of water.

"Do I even want to know how long this has been a hot topic between you two?"

"No, probably not."


	8. Bigfoot and Seamonsters

When Rachel woke up the next morning, she felt as though something were off, but for the life of her, couldn't place it. She cast an eye over the motel room, passing over Dean, still fast asleep, before her gaze rested on the sleeping man next to her. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and smiled as the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, even though he was still asleep. She got up, showered and dressed, when she came out of the bathroom, she saw that Dean had woken up and was sitting upright with an odd expression on his face. When he saw her, he relaxed a little, his features softening.

"Mornin," he said gruffly, kicking off the covers.

"Mornin to you too. Want me to go grab some breakfast?" Dean hesitated before answering,

"Sure, I think there was a breakfast take-out place about five minutes from here." Rachel nodded, picking up the car keys and heading out. Dean had been staring at her since yesterday, as though he was waiting for her to say or do something significant. She'd have to ask him when she got back.

She found the diner easily, but when she entered, it was hectic. There was a large group of people crowded around one table. Rachel, sensing a case, pushed her way to the front. A geeky looking, skinny boy with acne and big glasses was eagerly telling the huge crowd that not only had he seen the real Bigfoot, he managed to get it on camera. Rachel sat down across from Acne-boy and asked in a shy voice if she could see the pictures. Acne-boy turned bright red and stuttered that yes she could, before handing them over. Rachel raised her eyebrows. If it hadn't been for the well known fact between hunters that Bigfoot was a myth, these pictures would have had her convinced. They were taken at fairly close range, all with a great amount of detail. They didn't look like any animal she'd ever seen (and she'd seen a lot) and it didn't look like a costume either.

Rachel managed to convince Acne-boy that she was a journalist who had just happened upon this particular diner, and asked him if he could wait for her to run home, get equipment and associates. He stuttered another yes, enthusiastically assuring her he would not move a muscle. Rachel just sent a coy smile before sauntering out. A cheap trick she knew, but effective nonetheless.

The motel door burst open. Sam and Dean looked up, surprised as Rachel strode into the room and barked,

"Get up! I think I've got us a case!" Dean got the amused expression he always adopted when Rachel got bossy like this. Sam just looked baffled. _What could be so important that she forgot to get our breakfast?_ Neither boy argued much. Arguing with Rachel, as they had learned over the months, often proved futile. Although, Sam had to admit that it had been funny when Dean had doubled over laughing upon hearing what the case was, only to be smacked upside the head by an irritated Rachel.

_Rachel dragged us out of bead for this?_ Was all Dean could think as he regarded Acne-boy from their side of the table.

"Could we see the pictures?" Dean asked smoothly. Acne-boy was about to refuse, but he looked at Rachel who batted her eyelashes at him. Acne-boy turned red again and handed over the pictures. Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sam's eyes flicked from the look of dog-like adoration Acne-boy was giving Rachel, to the sweet smile she was giving back. It wasn't a very manly thing to do, and he knew Dean would tease him to no end if he noticed. Sam pouted.

"So," asked Rachel on the way out, "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's a big hoax." said Dean.

"I think we should check that part of the forest anyway; whatever that kid took a picture of, it could be dangerous. I just want to be sure." Rachel gave Sam a glowing look, Dean rolled his eyes. A group of kids ran by, shrieking excitedly to each other. Dean distinctly heard something about a sea monster sighting. Dean looked up to be met with a pair of wide green eyes, looking at him hopefully.

"To the beach?"

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The beach was absolutely packed; with bikini-clad girls no less. Dean was in heaven. Both brothers had brought swimming trunks, but neither one was all that inclined to go swimming. They weren't really fans of shorts.

"Aren't you guys going to swim?" Rachel walked over, wearing a red bikini top and a matching sarong around her waist. The red really complimented her eyes…Sam shook his head, trying to clear it. Rachel however, seemed to take that as a no.

"Alright then, I'll go look for our mystery sea-monster." With that, she turned, slowly undid her sarong and strode towards the lake, pretending not to see the brothers lean in closer to get a better look. Sam noticed that a couple of other guys were giving Rachel eyes too. Though Rachel thought her scars were disfiguring, Sam thought they were beautiful. No matter what the case, the fact remained that they weren't all that visible up close, but that most everything else was a bit too visible for his liking.

"Dean, we're going swimming,"

Rachel lay on her back as she floated, her eyes shut in contentment. She knew she was supposed to be keeping an eye out for the "sea-monster", but she hadn't relaxed like this in a while. _How could it get better?_ She felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her in. she kept her eyes shut._ Ah. That's how. _She opened her eyes and smiled at Sam.

"What made you change your mind about coming swimming?" Sam looked at her,

"I think it must have been the twenty or so guys that I saw leering at you." Rachel laughed,

"Really? Well you don't have to worry anymore. Can't say the same about Dean though." Two heads turned to see Dean eyeing a group of girls hopefully, while oblivious to the group of guys eying him. One particularly brave guy actually went over to Dean and casually slid a hand onto Dean's bum. Sam and Rachel cracked up at the sight of the normally calm-and-collected Dean jumping a foot in the air and squeaking. Dean Winchester. Squeaking. Could there be anything funnier? Dean waded over to the pair of them, bright red and scowling.

"I will kill you with my hands," Dean's threat did nothing more than increase the volume of Sam and Rachel's howling.

That did it. Dean ducked underwater and swam to Sam's feet. Something they shared as brothers was that they both had _extremely_ ticklish feet. Before Sam knew it, Dean had pulled his feet out from under him and began tickling him.

"That's fighting dirty!" Sam bellowed "Rachel get Dean's feet!!" Dean and Rachel met eyes, an evil smirk forming on Rachel's face. Dean laughed out loud when Rachel took hold of Sam's other foot and commenced tickling. Sam writhed and kicked and splashed but nothing worked. Eventually he managed to reach up and jab Dean in the ribs. Dean released his hold giggling. Yes, giggling. Sam made to go get revenge on Dean before turning to Rachel instead. Apparently her ribs were rather ticklish too. She squealed and punched, her blows lacking any real power.

Rachel was laughing so hard, she started to get a headache. At least, she thought it was. The pressure on her mind got stronger and stronger until it was a full-fledged migraine. She distantly heard Sam's voice, but she couldn't make out his words. She saw a flash of something in her mind's eye.

_A dark figure, swimming through the water. It seemed to hear the distant laughter and changed direction. It got closer and closer, its soulless eyes focused on the three pairs of legs dangling in front of it. She heard Dean laugh. An instant later his eyes widened in shock and pain as he was pulled under. _

She shook her head to clear it as the migraine passed. She saw a dark shape under the water, getting closer.

"Dean, look out!"


	9. AcneBoy, whose name is actually Charlie

_A dark figure, swimming through the water. It seemed to hear the distant laughter and changed direction. It got closer and closer, its soulless eyes focused on the three pairs of legs dangling in front of it. She heard Dean laugh. An instant later his eyes widened in shock and pain as he was pulled under. _

She shook her head to clear it as the migraine passed. She saw a dark shape under the water, getting closer.

"Dean, look out!"

Dean turned and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by a gigantic pair of jaws belonging to a thirty-foot shark. The shark landed back in the water, dazing the three of them with the wave. People all around them were screaming, desperately swimming for shore, but the shark had no interest in them. It turned its soulless black eyes to Rachel and Sam. It was upon them in a matter of seconds. Jaws snapped shut, barely missing Sam's torso. He swam backwards, frantically, the shark continuing its deadly path towards him. The shark growled in pain and turned its head towards Rachel, who had punched it in the gills with all her strength. Rachel punched again, trying to summon more power. Dean managed to reach the shark's other side and began punching. The shark roared in anger, throwing its head up in the air, throwing Dean and Rachel back.

Rachel brushed her hair off her face to clear her vision, silently cursing her long hair. The first thing she saw was a pair of black eyes coming closer at a rapid pace. The shark snapped again and again, thrashing back and forth, but its progress had been slowed. Taking her chances, Rachel ducked underwater and swam towards the shore. She saw two pairs of legs just behind the shark's tailfin; they had been holding it back from reaching her. She came up just as the shark dove under, almost taking the boys with it. She grabbed their shoulders and tugged, until they released their grip. All three of them began swimming back to shore as fast as they possibly could, keeping an eye on the dorsal fin tailing them.

When Dean looked back, the fin had disappeared. Not finding this reassuring in the slightest, Dean urged Sam and Rachel to swim faster. Their feet hit bottom! They began to run, just as the shark made one last jump to try and reach them. It just missed. They continued running, stopping only when they reached their towels at the end of the beach by the Impala. Stopping to breathe, Sam turned to see the shark still thrashing back and forth; apparently the water was too shallow. The shark was stuck. Dean wasted no time; he snatched up a shotgun, strode back into the water and proceeded to shoot the shark no less than three times. The blasts sent the shark backwards enough for it to free itself. It fixed Dean with its demonic gaze once more before sinking silently into the red waves.

He walked back, slightly calmer than before. He stopped at the Impala, tossing the shotgun back in the trunk He turned to look at Sam and Rachel both stark white and shaken, but otherwise unharmed. Dean let out a long breath.

"I knew there was a reason I don't go to beaches."

Nobody said a word in the car. When they reached the motel and unlocked the room, Rachel made a quiet inquiry about Sam and Dean's injuries. Both assured her that they didn't have any.

"Good," she murmured, the smile on her face genuine. "God Dean, I was so scared that you wouldn't get out of the way in time." Dean smirked,

"No way, I'm untouchable." Sam still looked concerned.

"Something the matter Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I haven't had a vision or anything since Yellow-eyes died."

"But I still do." Said Rachel, completing Sam's thought.

"Rachel," asked Sam slowly "You haven't been using your powers have you?" Rachel looked confused.

"Yeah, I use them on hunts sometimes. I don't use them unless I have to, since they need a lot of energy," she trailed off at Sam's expression. "Is that bad?" Sam stared at her for a second.

"I don't know…" he turned and headed for the bathroom. Rachel looked hurt.

"I never said I stopped using my powers. You guys never said I shouldn't. Is he mad at me or something?" Dean shook his head.

"The whole psychic thing just freaks him out a bit. Freaks me out too, to be honest." Rachel started to speak, but Dean cut her off,

"But I don't think he's mad at you, I think he's just happy that we all made it out alive." At that, Rachel sighed in relief, scrubbing a hand over her face. Dean put his arm around her, pulling her into a one-armed hug.

"Anyway, I'm glad you decided to have that particular vision. It was kinda helpful." Rachel laughed,

"So, wanna watch Jaws?" Dean cuffed her on the head.

"You're hilarious Rach, really."

Sam came out of the bathroom, his head no clearer than when he had gone in. Did Rachel know the effect her powers could have on her? Why did she still possess her powers when he didn't? Pushing these questions to the back of his mind, Sam decided to focus on the case and ask about Rachel's powers later.

"Ok," he said, sitting down, "What do we know so far?"

"We know that since we got here, there has been a Bigfoot sighting and a thirty-foot shark attack." Said Dean.

"We also know that Acne-boy was at both places when they happened." Sam and Dean looked at Rachel.

"_He was?"_ Rachel laughed a little at the perfect synchronization.

"Yeah, he was at the beach taking more pictures. Took one of me, actually." Sam grumbled.

"Think Acne-boy has something to do with these crazy sightings?" Dean and Rachel both nodded.

"One way to find out everything he knows." Rachel quirked an eyebrow. Sam looked confused, then annoyed.

"Dean. She is not doing that."

"What? He obviously likes her! He'll probably tell her anything!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Sam sighed in annoyance. Dean gave her a pointed look. Rachel blanched.

"Oh no, you're kidding. There is NO WAY I'm doing that. Think of another plan, that one; not gonna happen.

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

_I'm gonna murder those two!_ Rachel fumed silently. Acne-Boy, whose name was apparently Charlie, sat across the table from her, giving her a soppy look of adoration. Rachel fought very hard to stay in her seat. Sam had been on her side, but Dean had bribed him with _something_. When she found out, someone was going to pay…

"So Charlie," said Rachel, her voice coy "tell me about your Bigfoot sighting again?

After dithering about for a few minutes, Charlie answered,

"I had just gone to the Haunted House of Mirrors with a group of people, and I was taking the shortcut through the woods home. So, I was walking along the path, when I heard a noise and saw something jump in front of me. I shone my flashlight on it and…well, you saw the pictures. So I whipped out my camera and started taking pictures, even when it started coming toward me."

"How brave of you…" Murmured Rachel, hoping Charlie would miss the irony. He did.

"Then it heard a car horn or something and ran off." Rachel nodded, logging that away in her brain.

"Now tell me, how much of the shark attack did you see?"

"Not a lot, I'm afraid of the water, so I was pretty far away." _Hmm, afraid of water, but at the beach with a camera…_

"But I did see two guys and a girl wrestling with it. I took a couple of pictures before running away. I gave them to the newspaper, whoever they were, they're gonna make headlines!" _Shit… _Rachel composed herself before asking her last question, in her sweetest voice,

"Where is this 'Haunted House of Mirrors'?"

"Its only a couple minutes away from the beach, and the actual place is right outside the forest I went through." _Yahtzee._

"Thank you Charlie, this was really helpful," She made to stand up, but Charlie took her wrist.

"Can I buy you dinner?" Rachel looked stunned.

"I-I don't think so," she tried to move again, but Charlie wouldn't let go.

"Please?" Charlie gave her his most simpering impression of a puppy-dog face. It was the stupidest thing she had ever seen. She looked out the diner window to see Dean standing outside, clearly trying to contain his laughter. She sent him a pleading look that made him laugh harder. He turned and walked away, punching the air with his fist.

Rachel returned to the motel over an hour later. Dean looked up from the magazine he was pretending to read.

"So," he asked innocently, "How did it go?"

"I hate you so much right now."

"Yeah, I know you do."


	10. The Haunted House of Mirrors

"Ok you two," Rachel announced, "I have news. And it's a good thing I found out something from that guy at least."

"You got his phone number?" Rachel threw a pen at Dean's head and continued to speak

"Turns out that Charlie- That's his real name Dean, shut up and pay attention, went to a place called the 'Haunted House of Mirrors'. The forest where he saw Bigfoot was right outside the place. And, the beach where we got attacked, this place is only a couple minutes walk from there." Sam and Dean both nodded.

"So, do you think Acne-boy would like to take you there?"

"Acne-boy isn't taking me there, you guys are." Both boys sighed in resignation; they'd had their fun- and were now being dragged off to an almost definitely retarded funhouse.

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

The words 'HAUNTED HOUSE OF MIRRORS' beamed down at them from enormous flashing neon letters. The three hunters stared dumbly up at it. Was this place_ supposed_ to give you a seizure before you even got inside?

"Hi!" A perky redhead stood outside the door. "Tickets for the three of you?" Dean waggles his eyebrows suavely, and nodded. The redhead smiled and nodded,

"Well, you're lucky; you have the whole place to yourselves."

"_We do? How come?" _

"Some kid apparently saw Bigfoot right outside here, and everyone is afraid of coming here in case they get attacked by Bigfoot." She paused, "Ridiculous eh?"

"Oh yeah," said Sam, "ridiculous." The redhead handed over their tickets with a grin. Before entering, Rachel took Sam's hand and said quietly,

"Keep in mind that you still owe me big time." Sam grinned.

"I love you, Rach."

"Back atcha." Rachel kissed Sam on the cheek, and they entered the funhouse.

The inside was even worse; there were numerous hallways, warped mirrors on both sides and strobe lights to top it off. Sam tightened his grip on Rachel's hand; this was reminding him a lot of the funhouse where they had found the evil clown. Dean was beside him, his face bored, but still on guard. They reached a fork in the hallway. There was a bright flash of white light. When it subsided, Sam found himself alone. "Dean? Rachel? This isn't funny!" Sam headed down the middle hallway, still calling for Rachel and Dean.

"Sam? Dean? Where did you guys go? Hello?" Rachel wandered down the left hallway, calling for the boys. She stopped when she seemingly hit a dead end. She paused and looked around, wondering where to go, the strobe lights not being much help in the way of light. Without warning, the wall opened and sucked her inside before closing up once more.

"Rachel? Sammy?" Dean walked down the right hallway, trying to figure out how they had managed to get separated so soon. There had been the flash of light… but Dean didn't remember moving his feet at all. A door appeared out of nowhere at the end of the hallway. Suddenly he felt very uneasy. Dean quickened his pace, running toward the door as fast as he could.

"Sammy!"

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Sam reached the end of his hallway. As he stood, wondering where to go, a door appeared in front of him. Cautiously, he reached out and turned the handle. The door opened-

He was back in the motel room. Confused beyond anything, he turned around to look outside. The Impala was parked right outside. Keeping a hand on his gun, Sam entered the room. He looked around, expecting to see something. Anything. All looked normal; their stuff was all there, the beds rumpled, the Impala parked outside. He put his gun on the table and pulled out his cell phone. He had to find out where Dean and Rachel were… As he waited for Dean to pick up, he felt something drip onto his face. He wiped his face, thinking there was just a leak in the ceiling. He looked down at his hand, only to see that his hand was now streaked with red. Sam blanched. _God no._ There was another drip. Very slowly, Sam forced himself to look up.

A pair of lifeless green eyes stared down at him from the ceiling, tendrils of dark hair fanned around her face, frozen in an expression of pain and surprise, blood dripping from her torn stomach.

"NO!" Flames erupted around Rachel, burning her body up right before Sam's eyes. The door burst open, Dean ran inside. He grabbed Sam's arm and dragged him out into the parking lot, Sam fighting desperately.

"Dean no! I have to go back! We have to help her! Rachel!" Dean kicked out in front of him and the illusion was broken. They were back at the funhouse, watching it burn to the ground. Dean searched the flames for Rachel, for some sign that her death had been an illusion. A single tear fell down his cheek. Beside him, Sam was breathing heavily. No tears had fallen yet, but somehow, the way he hung his head and whispered Rachel's name brokenly over and over again was more heartbreaking than tears.

"Carrie said she let three people in before the fire, right?" asked one fireman.

"Yes, she said that the two guys got out." The other replied, jerking his head in Sam and Dean's direction.

"And the girl?"

"We didn't even find a body." Sam couldn't listen to anymore. He turned and walked towards the Impala, his head still low.

"Sam?" Sam looked up, a hollow look in his eyes. "What do you want to do now?"

"I just want to get away from here. Forget the case, forget her and go back to finding a way out of your deal."

"Sam-"

"Dean, I am not going through this again. I watched my girlfriend die for the second time; I'm not watching my brother die too. You're all I've got left." Sam's voice shook and died. Finally, Dean nodded sadly,

"Ok," Sam gave him a watery excuse for a grateful smile before sliding into the car and turning his face to the window. Dean got in the driver's seat and started the car. _Sammy, what have I done?_

The Impala sped out of the town, leaving the smouldering remains of their best friend a shrinking image in the rearview mirror.


	11. Shapeshifter

(Between FR and CAIADB)

**5 months after Dean Returns from Hell**

Sam and Dean sat across from the distressed looking man they were interviewing. The bar was dimly lit, and the music was fairly quiet for a place like this. Both brothers could understand why the man had chosen to come here after what he'd been through.

"Sir? Could you describe the attack?" Dean asked gently. Sam sat beside him in silence. The man glared at them,

"I already described the attack to that hot chick playing pool over there." There were lots of girls playing pool, so this wasn't very helpful.

"Please, we think she might have missed a question or two. She's new at this." Said Sam; taking the curveball like a champ. The man grumbled, but began to speak,

"The cops think I'm crazy. But I know what I saw. I came home, my wife kissed me hello and then went to make dinner. I went to the bedroom and I saw that the walls were covered in blood and this gushy stuff. The blood seemed to come from the closet, so I opened it. My wife was tied up in the chair and covered in blood. She started crying and begging me not to hurt her when she saw me. I was so confused, but I untied her and when I turned around, the person I thought was my wife stabbed me in the shoulder with a knife." Both brothers nodded, this story tallied perfectly with what they had anticipated.

"I had a knife in my pocket and I got her with it a couple times; that got me enough time to get to the phone and call 911. As soon as I did, she growled and ran off."

"That's everything you remember?" asked Sam. The man nodded irritably before snapping,

"I've told you everything I remember about the attack, and I told you I already talked about this with the hot chick! Go talk to her if you want to know more!" The brothers nodded again, standing up.

"Thank you for your time, we will notify you when the case is solved." Said Dean. They boys headed to a vacant table and sat down.

"Sounds like a shapeshifter." Sam nodded,

"Definitely, the only question is, do these victims have a connection?" Dean didn't answer; his eyes following a girl on her way out of the bar.

Without another word, Dean stood up and hurried away. Sam looked bemused, but quickly followed his brother.

Dean left the bar, turning his head wildly. He settles for heading down the street, towards the alley.

"Dean!" Sam's shout made him stop. "What happened in there Bro? You suddenly started acting like a mental case."

"Or like I've just seen a ghost." Before Sam could ask, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around only to be met with a fist colliding with his jaw. The punch was quickly followed by a knee in the stomach. Sam fell to his knees. He heard Dean grunt in pain, staggering backwards. Panting, Sam looked up at his attacker: ratty running shoes that contrasted oddly with the clean jeans and low cut halter. The wavy chestnut hair and the hateful eyes glaring down at him were all too familiar: they belonged to Rachel.

Sam brushed off the possibility the second it entered his mind. Rachel had been dead for more than a year now. It couldn't possibly be her. 'Rachel' knelt down and pulled Sam's head up by the hair. Looking her full in the face sent a small shiver through his body. Her eyes were still the vivid green he remembered so perfectly; but they were as soulless and hateful as any demon they had ever encountered.

"I knew you would show up eventually." She hissed, throwing Sam off to the side. She took a step forward. Sam seized his opportunity and kicked her feet out from under her. He saw Dean go up behind her and pull her hands behind her back. She struggled and snarled for a few seconds before going limp in Dean's arms. Dean lowered her gently to the ground.

"Looks like we found our shapeshifter, Sammy." Sam nodded, his gaze locked on Rachel, who lay perfectly still. Sam vaguely heard Dean say he was going to get the shotguns and that Sam had to keep an eye on the shapeshifter. Sam nodded; he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her fingers twitched and her eyes snapped open, seeming to glow in the dim light.

As quickly as the first time, Sam found himself with another punch in the face with enough force to send him backwards a little. He punched back, satisfied when he heard her grunt in pain. She moved fast, it was all he could do to keep up with her. He realized a second too late that she was driving him backwards to the end of the alley. His back touched the brick wall and he cursed inwardly. Rachel smiled in triumph and pressed a knife to Sam's throat. She looked him straight in the eyes and was shocked to see her resolve falter. That's when he knew.

"Any last words, you sadistic son of a bitch?"

"Yes," said Sam coolly "I'm wondering why who have a knife at my throat when you know that I'm not a shapeshifter." Rachel snorted derisively.

"Not a shapeshifter? How stupid do you think I am? Sam and Dean both died over a year ago." Sam's eyes widened in shock,

"You're-" He winced when the knife dug further into his neck.

"Don't!" Rachel snarled viciously, "I couldn't move, I was forced to just sit there and watch the only friends I had left get murdered.

"Sammy?" At the sound of Dean's voice, Rachel turned her head around and held out her hand. To Sam's astonishment, Dean flew backwards, slamming into the wall opposite him and staying pinned. Rachel smirked and turned her attention back to Sam.

"So tell me 'Sam', what could you possibly do to convince me that you aren't a shapeshifter?" Sam managed a smile,

"One, if you really thought I was a shapeshifter, you would have killed us already. Two, shapeshifters don't partner up. Three, a hunter as good as you should know that knives don't kill shapeshifters."

"No," she said softly, "but it will slow you down long enough for me to get my gun." As she spoke, her free hand headed for the waistband of her jeans.

"Rachel, stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Dean yelled. Rachel turned again and flicked her hand again. Dean fell silent. Rachel looked at Sam again, her face showing less determination than ever.

"A shapeshifter would know better then to impersonate someone I had to watch die…" she trailed off for only a moment before her eyes darkened again.

"But a demon would find it absolutely hilarious." Sam inhaled as Rachel began to recite,

"_Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Domino qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientem Ecce dabit-"_ Rachel stopped when neither Sam or Dean made any sound of pain.

"Man, Rach, looks like its not working. Hey, maybe that's because I'm not a demon." Sam couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He was getting close, Rachel looked less sure of herself by the minute. She glared furiously at him.

"You're not Sam." She hissed again, but this time it seemed to be more directed at herself. Ignoring the pain in his neck as the knife dug in further, drawing a think trickle of blood, Sam leaned forward and kissed Rachel softly on the lips. She closed her eyes in contentment and returned the kiss for a few seconds. She pulled away slowly, as though it was the hardest thing she ever had to do.

"Christo?" She whispered; her voice wondrous. Sam stared steadfastly back at her. The knife fell out of her hand and clattered against the ground. Dean slid to the ground, no longer pinned.

"Sam?" she asked in a tiny voice. Sam nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

"Oh my God, Sam!" Rachel threw her arms around Sam's neck and kissed him with all the strength she could muster. Sam was only too happy to return the favour. It felt as though a year hadn't passed at all. They broke apart long enough to breathe.

"I don't understand…" Rachel whispered as she buried her face in Sam's neck.

"I don't either, Rach." Sam kissed Rachel's forehead. Dean coughed. Rachel released her grip on Sam and threw her arms around Dean.

"Dean!" she cried happily, hugging him so tightly it almost hurt. Dean didn't care; he hugged back just as fiercely.

She pulled away eventually, and the change was immense. Her eyes had gotten their gentle sparkle back. There was no trace of the anger or hatred they had contained only moments ago. By looking at her now, you never would have thought that she would hurt a soul, let alone be a hunter. A very savage hunter, from what the brothers had just seen. Dean sensed a very emotional conversation in the future, but hey, even he could handle chick flick moments once in a while.

"Hate to break this up, but maybe we should track down the real shapeshifter?" Sam and Rachel both nodded, unable to wipe the happy expressions from their faces. As they set off, Rachel slipped her arms around both brothers' elbows. They were linked together again, and that made Rachel happier than she had been in over a year.

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Catching the real shapeshifter was almost fun. It had morphed into Rachel and was putting on quite a show of trying to convince the boys that she was the real deal. The astonished and dumbfounded look on its face when Rachel entered the room and pointed a gun at its head was pretty dern funny. Rachel shot it without a minute's hesitation. It was a little disturbing how easy it seemed for Rachel to shoot at a mirror image of herself, but the job was done and that was all any of them cared about. As a bonus, they had escaped mostly unscathed. To be honest, most of their injuries had been inflicted by each other. Stopping only long enough for Rachel to get her things out of her stolen car, and grab a case of beer, they headed back to the motel for story time.

Rachel plopped down on the bed and lay on her back, stretching out. She sat up when Dean offered her a beer.

"So," asked Sam "Who gets to talk about their year first?" Rachel made no reply other than holding out her fist. Sam and Dean smiled. Rachel: Rock. Dean: Scissors. Sam: Rock. Sam and Rachel locked eyes, holding out their fists again. Rachel: Paper. Sam: Rock.

"Winner chooses, I'll tell you my story first."

**1 Year Ago – The Haunted House of Mirrors**

"Sam? Dean? Where did you guys go? Hello?" Rachel wandered down the left hallway, calling for the boys. She stopped when she seemingly hit a dead end. She paused and looked around, wondering where to go, the strobe lights not being much help in the way of light. Without warning, the wall opened and sucked her inside before closing up once more.

The room was dimly lit by a row of torches on the wall. She took a step forward, and hit an invisible wall. Thoroughly confused, Rachel beat the wall her fists.

"Sam! Dean!" To her delight, another wall opened up and sucked both Winchesters into the room.

"Hey! Over here!" She called. Neither boy answered, or gave any sign that they had heard her at all. An evil chuckle startled the three hunters. A man materialized in the room. He had dark skin, a black beard, and dark eyes that glinted ferociously in the torch light.

"_Gordon."_

Gordon smiled.

"Sam and Dean Winchester. This is a pleasure." Dean gave a fake grin back.

"That's good to know, but we don't swing that way." Gordon's smiled tightened and he pulled out a knife before launching himself at the brothers. Dean leapt out of the way, jumping backwards to the side wall. The minute his back touched the brick, metal cuffs appeared around his ankles, wrists and neck. Eyes widened in panic, Dean struggled, but the cold metal was unforgiving.

"Dean!" Sam rushed to his brother's aid, only to be blocked by Gordon. Sam whipped out a knife of his own. Rachel beat against the invisible wall desperately, screaming at the top of her lungs. She heard Sam gasp in pain before falling to his knees, Gordon's blade sticking out of his chest.

"Sammy!?"

"Sam? Sam! Gordon, you son of a bitch, when I get out of this…" Gordon carelessly turned over Sam's body and wrenched the knife from his chest. Rachel's own chest tightened painfully at the sight. Gordon strode calmly over to Dean, who was still thrashing against the cuffs so much, that they were cutting into his skin, drawing blood.

"I told you before, Dean. Sam Winchester would have been the end of the world. You ought to be thanking me." Dean made no verbal reply, the look of hatred in his eyes conveying his opinion crystal clear.

"But," said Gordon thoughtfully, "I can't see that happening anytime soon. And since I can't have you coming after me for revenge…" Gordon plunged the knife into Dean's chest, rotating it with a savage grin on his face. The bonds fell away and Dean Winchester slumped to the ground. Rachel fell to the ground as well, feeling horribly numb.

_Sam and Dean…the great Winchesters…dead…killed right before her eyes. _

"I can do this for you at least," said Gordon, taking a torch of the wall and setting both bodies alight. He didn't look back as the wall opened and he walked out, mission accomplished. The pain of losing the last two people she had welled up inside her until it was almost unbearable. Rachel grabbed her head and screamed, her throat going raw. She felt a pulse of power leave her body; the brick wall behind her shattered. She turned her head slowly to face her exit, and then back to the room where both boys were completely consumed by the flames.

_Gordon_ she thought viciously, _Gordon has to die. _That single murderous thought being her only motivation, Rachel walked away as merciless and cold as when the boys had met her.

**Present Day**

"The rest of the year is pretty much a blur. I ate, I slept (if you could call it that) and I hunted. The only time I spoke to anyone was when I was interrogating witnesses. It was just like my life before you found me, only worse. I started hunting for fun, not because I wanted to help anyone. I was a monster; hunting gave me a thrill, inflicting pain on others dulled the pain I felt." Dean grimaced, Rachel was sounding too much like him for his liking. Apparently Sam felt that way too, he looked at Dean through anxious hazel eyes, wondering what to say. Rachel scrubbed a hand over her face, trying to regain control. This was the first time she had dredged up those memories willingly. She saw the tension in Dean's expression. Before she could ask, he asked in a harsh whisper.

"Want to hear about my year now?" Rachel nodded. Taking a deep breath, Dean forced out,

"The first thing you need to know is that two years ago, Sam really did die." Rachel inhaled sharply, dreading Dean's next words.

"And I, made a deal with a crossroads demon; my soul for Sam's life." Sam squeezed his eyes shut; he hated it when Dean put it so bluntly like that, like the last year hadn't been the most painful, nerve-wracking thing he had ever been through, like he hadn't been forced to watch his brother get carved up by a hellhound. That memory had haunted him every night for four months and beyond. Nobody spoke for a few minutes. Rachel asked timidly,

"How did you get out of Hell?" A small smile flitted across his face.

"An angel pulled me out- his name is Castiel." Rachel's pained expression turned to one of shock.

"You know Castiel?"

TBC

Author's note: Welcome to my first AN ever! I'm glad you guys are liking it so far, and I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed, it's really encouraging! Thank you!

-Shooshkipoo


	12. Uriel

_Rachel asked timidly,_

"_How did you get out of Hell?" A small smile flitted across his face._

"_An angel pulled me out- his name is Castiel." Rachel's pained expression turned to one of shock._

"_You know Castiel?"_

"Yeah, we know him. I think the question is; how do you know Castiel?" Rachel blinked.

"He saved my life." Sam looked confused.

"What happened?" Rachel smiled ruefully.

"Well, Castiel's friend Uriel doesn't like psychics much. I started using my abilities more and more after I thought you guys had died. Uriel didn't like that; he said he wanted to destroy me before I got too dangerous. But Cas convinced him to let me live as long as I kept my powers under control. This was like four months ago." Sam smiled bitterly

"Don't worry, Uriel told me that he would kill me the instant I stopped being useful." Rachel giggled a little.

"Wow, for an angel he sure is a dick."

"He wishes." Dean smirked at the memory of that particular conversation. Rachel and Sam looked bemused. Dean remembered that he hadn't mentioned poking fun at Uriel's lack of genitalia.

"You called him a Ken-doll?" Rachel covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. "That's too funny; I wish I could have seen his face." Dean laughed too, taking another swig of beer. Sam gave a distracted smile, but he was lost in thought. _What had happened at the Haunted House of Mirrors? What managed to convince us that we had just watched someone die? I saw Rachel die just like Mom and Jess, and Rachel just said she saw us get killed by Gordon…_ A light bulb went off over Sam's head.

"I know this seems insignificant right about now, but I think I figured out what happened at the funhouse." That got Rachel and Dean's attention.

"Think about it, what do we know of that is powerful enough to create alternate reality, make you see something that isn't really happening?" Dean thought for a moment, and then realization hit him too.

"The Trickster." Sam nodded grimly.

"Charlie." Rachel whispered. Both boys looked at her.

"Acne-boy, he was at the funhouse too, he was standing there taking pictures." Sam said,

"That must have been the Trickster's disguise." Dean said,

"You remember his name?"

"Shut up."

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It was quiet. They had finished their celebration and story time hours ago, but Rachel couldn't sleep. It was peaceful, and she wanted to enjoy it. The only noise was the sound of Sam breathing beside her. She stroked his hair absent-mindedly, just thinking about her luck. She hadn't known peace like this in what seemed like centuries. But such peace could not last.

"Reunited with the Winchesters I see." Rachel jumped and sat up. Sam rolled over next to her, but did not wake.

"Uriel," said Rachel coolly, by means of greeting. "What do you want?" Uriel smiled cruelly.

"Just to check on you, say hello." Rachel stared aloofly back at him. "Wow, I managed to say that with a straight face"

"Don't quit your day job, Junkless" said Rachel, coining the term Dean had used. "You still haven't told me what you want." Uriel's smile became crueler, if that were possible.

I couldn't help but notice a few missing details in your little story." Rachel inhaled sharply.

"Didn't want your little friends to know who you really are? What you were meant to do?" He gaze traveled over Sam's sleeping form and back to Rachel's angry expression. His toned turned condescending.

"Oh that's cute, you _love_ him." Rachel narrowed her eyes, "Tell me something, how much would Sammy here, care about you if he knew your little secret? Oh right, you didn't tell him." Uriel chuckled.

"You listen to me, Junkless, I know you're looking forward to wiping me out of existence, but don't hold your breath. It's not going to come to that. It won't." But Uriel had disappeared, his cold voice ringing in your ears.

"You can't win. You've known for months, but you're so pitiful and desperate that you're willing to drag lover-boy down with you. You should have died a long time ago and you know it." Rachel bit her lip, looking down at Sam again. She lay back down, put Sam's arm around her, rested her head on his chest and let two tears fall silently down her cheeks; the first tears she had shed in over a year.

_It won't come to that._ She swore silently to herself. _I won't let it. _

**SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

The next day was uneventful; Dean found them a job which actually did turn out to be a simple salt and burn. Rachel kept a cheerful smile on her face, trying to hide any sign of Uriel's visit. She though she had done a pretty good job, turns out the brothers were just tactful. They were walking out of the graveyard and towards the Impala, Rachel and Sam hand in hand when Sam asked softly,

"Hey, are you ok?" Rachel gave an all too fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sam wasn't fooled.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. You know that right?" Rachel looked away; the kindness in his voice was too much; she didn't deserve it.

_Tell me something, how much would Sammy here, care about you if he knew your little secret? Oh right, you didn't tell him. _

She stopped and looked into his eyes. The fear in her voice scared Sam.

"I love you Sam, don't ever forget that ok?" His concern showed plainly on his face.

"I love you too. What's this about?"

"I had a nightmare, you and Dean had both forgotten me. You had forgotten me…" She trailed off, hating herself more with every word.

"I'm not going anywhere. And I'm never going to forget you." Rachel nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. As they walked back to the car, Rachel's conscience was eating her up inside.

_I've had that nightmare before; I'm not really lying to him. _It was no use; Rachel knew she couldn't lie to him forever. That absolute trust he had in her made her feel like the lowest creature alive for deceiving him. She could almost see the smirk on Uriel's face. _I'll prove you wrong, Junkless. Just watch me._


	13. Premonition

Dean didn't bother getting out of the car when they reached the motel. Rachel heard him say something to Sam before speeding off.

"What's with him?" asked Rachel, unlocking the door.

"He's heading off to a bar, said he was dying for some action." Rachel laughed,

"Wow, and here I thought he was giving us some alone time…"

_Thank you, Dean!_

"I've been thinking." They had lain in silence for who knows how long, just relishing in the other's presence.

"That's always dangerous," Rachel teased, "what about?"

"About what happened at the funhouse," Rachel froze. "I can't figure out why the Trickster did it. He likes screwing with our heads yeah, but his main goal seemed to be splitting us up."

"I think he thought I was an intrusion. I had no experience with him before, so I probably didn't matter to him much. I don't think it's anything to worry about." Sam smiled and relaxed.

"You're probably right; we did end up running into him later. He probably didn't want you helping me figure out his trick."

"What did he do?"

"Stuck me in a time loop, with Dean dying at the end of every day." Rachel gasped softly.

"I lived for six months on my own after Dean died for the final time. The way you described your year, that was me exactly. I was practically a robot; all I cared about was finding the Trickster. I did eventually and he brought Dean back after I begged him to." Rachel kissed Sam's neck gently, as a gesture of comfort.

"You've been through so much…" Rachel murmured "It's a wonder you haven't gone off the deep end." At those words, Sam thought of what Ruby had said to him when he had tried to leave on his kamikaze mission.

_You want to die fighting Lilith! This isn't what Dean would have wanted; this isn't what he died for! _Ruby…her new form had reminded him of Rachel. Hell, she had reminded him of Rachel, trying to help him stay afloat, but still not taking any crap from him.

He looked down to see Rachel almost passed out on his shoulder. It was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

"Hey Rach," She made a small noise of acknowledgement, but her eyes stayed shut, "Have you ever heard of a demon called Lilith?" Rachel's heard skipped a beat, but managed to say convincingly,

"Nope…why? She dangerous?" Sam gave a small laugh,

"I'll tell you when you aren't falling asleep."

"Thnks…lv you…" Sam yawned, now realizing how tired he actually was. Resting his head atop Rachel's, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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_An invisible force threw both brothers against the wall, effectively pinning them. The view of Sam got closer._

"_Get away from him, you sonuvabitch or I will kill you, I swear to God." Dean hissed. A girlish giggle was the only reply. Sam's eyes widened in astonishment and pain as a gun was raised and aimed directly between his eyes._

"_Don't do this…" he whispered, his voice pleading. Another giggle, preceding the blast. Sam slumped forward, blood everywhere, Dean's screams mixing with her own…_

Rachel gasped and grabbed the counter, fighting the bile rising in her throat. She clutched her head as memories from the vision sprang to her mind as vivid pictures, as though they were taunting her.

_Sam's pleading gaze, the cruel giggle. The gaze traveled from Sam's face and down to the arm holding the gun. A mirror across the room got her attention. To her horror, she saw her own hand holding the gun, her finger resting teasingly on the trigger. Her eyes flicked to white and she fired._

Rachel could not hold back the bile anymore, she dropped to her knees at the toilet and hurled. She heard Sam knock on the door and ask if she was ok. Rachel managed to reply that she was, and that it was probably the tacos they had eaten earlier. To her relief, Sam bought her story; those tacos had tasted pretty suspicious. When she had finished unloading the contents of her stomach, she curled up on the ground in fetal position, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh God," she thought miserably, "what am I going to do?" She stayed curled up for a few more minutes before forcing herself to stand. She knew Sam would check up on her again if she stayed for too long. Sam… she choked back a sob as the image of his pained expression sprang to her mind. Rachel looked in the mirror, thoroughly disgusted with what she saw. She considered killing herself right then, protect Sam, stop Lilith's plan. No, Sam had a sixth sense when it came to her, he'd know right away that something was wrong and bust in before she could do anything.

Wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath, Rachel stepped out of the bathroom. Sam wasn't facing the direction of the bathroom, but she could tell he wasn't asleep either. She almost started crying again when she saw the stomach medicine and the glass of water he had left out for her. She gulped down the pills and water and walked over to Sam's bed.

"Feeling better?" he asked, rolling over.

"Not really, I'm going to sit outside and get some fresh air until the pills kick in ok?"

"Want me to sit with you?" Rachel smiled

"Nah, it's fine, you need your sleep. We all know what lack of sleep does to you." Sam grumbled and rolled back over.

"Call me if you need anything kay?" Rachel nodded,

"I would kiss you right now but…" She smiled again when she heard Sam make a noise between a groan of disgust and a laugh.

The minute she stepped outside, Rachel dropped the cool act and sat on the curb, breathing heavily. Her past attempts at stopping her visions from happening had been unsuccessful, more often than not. Failing this time just wasn't an option, not with Sam's life on the line. Just as suddenly as the vision had come to her, the solution did too: go to the angels. Steal a car, head to an empty area and let them take her. Sam would be safe, Lilith would be pissed. Win-win situation… who was she kidding; the brothers would be crushed. But what else could she do? Mostly as something to do, Rachel checked the parking lot for the car that looked easiest to steal. She hotwired it, getting it running. Composing herself, she took a few deep breaths, only to be stopped in her tracks.

"Rachel, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

_Shit! Dean…_

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Rachel froze like a deer caught in the headlights and turned slowly to face Dean. There was no humour in his gaze, he wanted an explanation and he wanted it now.

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? You're hotwiring a car. What do you need a car for huh?"

"Dean, really, there's nothing-" Rachel was shocked when Dean pulled out a gun and pointed it at her.

"I'm not kidding around here. I want answers, and you aren't going anywhere until I get them." Rachel got out of the car, planted her feet and stared defiantly back at Dean.

"Whatcha gonna do Dean? Shoot me?"

"No, I'm not gonna shoot you," he paused before saying, with a note of triumph in his voice, "But a gunshot would be pretty effective at waking Sam, wouldn't it?" Rachel looked shocked; that threat was way below the belt, as far as she was concerned.

"So that's your choice, talk to me, or I get Sam out here and you can have fun telling him why you were trying to ditch us."

"Fine," said Rachel coolly, "what are you so curious about?"

"Why did Azazel give you these powers and never bother to look you up again? Why does Uriel want you dead so badly? Why did Sam instinctively know something was up when Keller said you were evil? See, Sam's instincts aren't usually wrong." He stopped to give her the chance to answer.

"I'm not evil, Dean. But I am dangerous." Dean began to speak, but Rachel stopped him.

"I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise to do what I say."

"Why should I?"

"Because Sam's life depends on it." There was a moment of tension where Rachel wasn't sure Dean would listen to her. After what seemed like forever, Dean relaxed his grip on the gun.

"Talk."

"You know how I told you that I knew Castiel?" Dean nodded curtly,

"I left out some details," she paused, "like why Uriel wanted me dead in the first place." She gritted her teeth, finally forcing herself to say it aloud.

"Azazel gave me my powers, and then sent all sorts of trouble my way. Not to kill me, but to push me to my limits until I started going over the edge. When I you guys told me that you killed Azazel, I thought that it was over. But then Sam mentioned that his powers had disappeared,"

"They haven't." Dean interrupted, "He's been using his too, that's why Uriel hates him." Rachel didn't know what to make of that, so she continued,

"I got worried, so I started using them less often. I started up again after the incident at the Funhouse. But after one hunt went really badly, I almost lost control of my abilities. That's when Castiel showed up. He stopped me from going evil. A few days later, he came back, with Uriel this time. Castiel said they had something to tell me." Rachel had to stop and breathe for a minute. This was it, if she told Dean; she'd finally have to face it as reality.

"They told me why I was given my powers." She stopped again, Dean almost going out of his mind with impatience. Rachel spat out the words like they were toxic.

"I was born to destroy Sam."


	14. Lilith

"Wait, wait, wait, back up a little. Rachel, tell me I heard you wrong. Tell me that you didn't just say that you were born to _kill_ my brother." Rachel nodded miserably.

"Lilith found out about Azazel's plan and thought it was a good idea. She figured that if she was powerful possessing a normal human; she'd be ten times that powerful if her host was an advanced psychic. Uriel wanted to destroy me before Lilith got to me. I protested, because I hadn't gotten my revenge on Gordon yet, and Castiel managed to compromise with Uriel: if I ever came close to losing control of my powers again, or if Lilith found me, then he had permission to kill me. But as long as I stayed in control and away from Lilith, Castiel saw no reason for me to die." Dean stood perfectly still, trying to take it all in. He said nothing, which Rachel took as an invitation to continue.

"Tonight, I had a vision," the image flashed in her mind again and she closed her eyes in pain,

"I saw Sam die, Dean. I watched myself laugh just before I killed him. I saw the light leave his eyes…" Rachel's voice died. She felt hot tears running down her face again. Dean's expression had softened but he made no move to comfort her. Why should he?

"Dean, please believe me, I love Sam. I love him so much, if this vision comes true, I will never forgive myself. That's why I tried to leave. I was going to let the angels take me before Lilith did." She was sobbing now; amazed that Dean could still understand a single word she said.

"I'd rather die than hurt him. That's the God-honest truth." She wiped her eyes, unable to say anymore.

"I know this isn't going to be helpful right about now, but it would hurt Sam a helluva lot more if he thought you had randomly abandoned him. Hell, it just might kill him. But if he gets hurt because you're possessed, he's going to know it's not your fault." Dean took a step closer,

"Haven't you learned by now that running away doesn't protect anyone? Sam doesn't need you to protect him, he just needs you around." Dean sighed,

"If you still think that leaving is the best choice, I won't stop you. But I'm not letting you leave without saying goodbye to Sam." Rachel said nothing, not even bothering to wipe her tears again. She barely registered Dean's presence until he place a hesitant arm around her shoulders.

"We both know he's not gonna let you go without a fight." Rachel nodded sadly,

"That's what I'm afraid of."

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"Wakey, wakey Sammy!" Dean bellowed, entering the room, a miserable Rachel trailing behind. Sam rubbed his eyes, sleepily. It didn't take long for him to notice Rachel's expression.

"Rach? What's the matter?" asked Sam, all traces of fatigue gone. Dean's humour was gone too.

"Rachel here has something she would like to tell you." Rachel shot Dean a filthy look that he steadfastly returned, unfazed. Rachel took a few shaky breaths, making Sam more nervous by the second.

"I lied to you," Sam swallowed nervously, "I have heard of Lilith, and I know what her plans are." Sam's jaw dropped slightly. Dean's cell buzzing interrupted the moment. With a growl of frustration, Dean flipped his phone open.

"Hello? Bobby? What's up?" He listened intently, his expression growing stony. "Fabulous," he snapped irritably, "Right, thanks Bobby". Dean ended the call with a grudging note in his voice. Chances were, Bobby had told him off for snapping. He turned back to Sam and Rachel, Sam looking mutinous, Rachel looking as though she wanted to disappear.

"That was Bobby," said Dean, "he says our favourite person is in town, and that we should probably know." Rachel's gasp of horror was enough to finally make Sam speak.

"So Rachel, when were you planning to tell me that you have insider's info on the very demon trying to end the world?" Sam's words had a cutting edge to them, Rachel almost winced.

"Sam-" She had never seen Sam this annoyed with her.

"Lilith, may I remind you, is destroying the seals, trying to free Lucifer and oh right, wants me dead. If you knew something about her, don't you think I'd like to know?"

"I know you're mad at me, and you deserve to be. But there's a reason I didn't tell you sooner." It took all Rachel had to keep her voice from cracking. _It was hard enough telling Dean, how on Earth can I tell _Sam_ what I'm supposed to do?_ Dean's cell buzzed again. When Dean answered it, the colour drained from his face.

"It's for you, Sammy." He said slowly, holding out the phone. Sam gingerly took the phone, as though it were going to explode, not even looking at Rachel.

"Hi!" A girly voice greeted him from the other end. "Remember me? It's Lilith!"

Sam growled; the anger previously directed at Rachel now solely focused on the voice on the other end of the phone.

"I just thought you'd like to know that I know where you are. And I want to talk to you."

"Talk to me," Sam repeated coldly, "Somehow I doubt it." There was another giggle that made Sam want to punch something.

"Yeah you're right, but you can either come see me at the old abandoned house on the edge of town or I'll come to your hotel. If you aren't here in ten minutes, I'll come to you."

"I'll be there." Sam snarled, snapping the phone shut. He turned to Rachel and Dean, both looking pensive.

"That was Lilith. She wants to meet me at the abandoned house." Horror crossed both faces.

"Sam, you didn't seriously say you'd meet her?" Dean was shocked "What were you thinking, man?"

"I was thinking that if I didn't go to her, she'd come here." Dean put a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_This is not good._ Sam picked up the keys and started towards the door, but Rachel blocked his way.

"Sam, no. She'll kill you on sight!"

"I don't have a choice!" Sam shouted. "If I don't go, she will kill everyone in town!"

"You're not going alone, anyway." Dean spoke pretty calmly, considering. Sam was mad, but the clock was ticking and he knew it was a lost cause. He stormed out the door in silence. He looked back to see Dean say something to Rachel, her nodding fearfully.

The car was silent, like it sometimes had been when the three of them had gone hunting. But this wasn't the comfortable, I'm-just-freaking-exhausted silence. This silence was deafening. It wasn't until they neared the empty house when a spurt of panic got Rachel talking,

"Sam, before you rush in there, there's something you need to know about me." Sam turned his hazel eyes on her, and Rachel almost lost her nerve. He was plenty annoyed with her at the moment, and her next few words would surely make him hate her. Sam's expression softened and Rachel realized that she had spoken out loud.

"I could never hate you." His voice was gentle, but he sounded so weary it made Rachel want to rip Lilith apart, just so Sam wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

A powerful forced rammed the side of the Impala, knocking the wind out of Sam and Rachel, and bringing a string of curse words and threats he would carry out if there was a dent in his car from Dean. The three hunters scrambled out of the car to face their enemy head-on. At first, there was nothing, only an eerie silence. Then, out of nowhere, the trio found themselves surrounded by at least thirty humans, every one of them possessed. Outnumbered ten to one was never a good thing, but she'd be damned if she didn't go down fighting, Rachel thought. The demons launched themselves forward, all at once. There was a dash for the Impala's trunk and the Holy Water that lay inside. Dean snatched up a flask and doused a demon that had grabbed Sam. The demon hissed in pain, releasing its hold. They fought bravely, stabbing, and dousing demons in Holy Water in every direction. Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the demons vanished. For one blissful, foolish moment, Dean thought they had won this battle at least. Sam's terrified shout of fury alerted him to the truth: Rachel was gone.

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Rachel was stuck, a demon on either side, pinning her arms down. It wouldn't have helped anyway, she had run out of Holy Water; the demons seizing their opportunity when they realized. She heard a small laugh, cute, and innocent. It chilled her down to her bones. There was a young girl standing before her in the musty smelling room. She smiled sweetly, walking slowly towards Rachel. She bristled and tried to move back, but her demon captors weren't having any of it.

"Hi Rachel, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Can't say I agree," Rachel spat venomously. The girl smiled and gestured to the demons. They forced Rachel to her knees, so she was eye-to-eye with the little girl. She smiled, her blue eyes dancing merrily before they flipped to white.

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The demons had returned, ten or twenty or so of them, their only intent apparently keeping the Winchesters from reaching the house. _And,_ Dean thought grudgingly, _They're doing a damn good job! _He saw and opening!

"Sam!" Dean bellowed, "I'll hold them off, you go find Rachel!" Sam wasted no time; barreling through the remaining assailants, he managed to get through the rotting doors.

"Rachel? Rachel, are you there? Are you ok?" Sam's shouts were frantic.

"I'm in here, Sam." Sam followed her voice into what looked like it used to be a fancy dining room. She stood in the middle of them room, all alone and apparently unharmed.

"Are you ok? Did they hurt you?" Sam gasped, "Lilith! Do you know where Lilith is?"

"I'm better than okay…" Rachel turned slowly, a smile creeping across her features, "and as for where Lilith is…" Rachel raised her hand, emitting a white light. Sam stumbled backwards, hands over his eyes. Out of the blinding white, Rachel ran forward and punched Sam. Unwilling to have a repeat of that night in the alleyway, Sam fought back, not with his fists, but with his own powers. Rachel screamed and stumbled backwards as the first pulse of psychic energy hit her. The two circled the room, punching and shooting bursts of psychic power at one another. With a scream of pain, Rachel shot an immense blast at Sam, finally succeeding at pinning him to the wall.

Sam was finally immobilized, but Rachel was looking a little worse for the wear; she was covered in cuts and her nose was bleeding. She wiped the blood carelessly on her sleeve. Dean burst into the room with a shout. He attempted to defend Sam, but Rachel pinned him to the wall as well, without any apparent effort. She took a step toward Sam.

"Get away from him, you sonuvabitch, or I will kill you, I swear to God." Dean's voice was little more than a snarl.

"Whatcha gonna do Dean? Shoot me?" The pained expression on Dean's face was very satisfying. Rachel giggled girlishly, turning her gaze to Sam. A cruel smile crossed her face, and she raised a gun to Sam's forehead, pointed directly between his eyes. Sam's face was a mixture of pain and astonishment.

"Don't do this Rach," Sam pleaded "I know you can hear me, and I know you're stronger than this." Rachel snarled in pain and stumbled backwards. Sam slumped forward a little, Lilith's force weakened. Rachel's eyes flipped to white as she raised the gun again. Sam's eyes widened as he watched Rachel's delicate finger wrap around the trigger and fire.


	15. Bittersweet

Sam gasped in pain and slid to the ground, blood seeping from his shoulder. He looked up at Lilith again, panting. Lilith screamed with rage, raising the gun again. There was a flash of movement behind her. Lilith let out an ear-piercing shriek as Rachel's head threw back and released a cloud of black smoke. Free from Lilith's control, Rachel fell forward. Ignoring the searing pain, Sam caught her as best he could, and held her against him. He looked up again, to see Dean, standing before him, his expression a mix of agonized concern and unimaginable self-disgust. In his hand, he held the magic knife which was now gently dripping blood. _No._

Sam was now forcefully aware of the warm liquid seeping over his pants, mingling with his. Rachel's eyes fluttered open, her breathing in short, pained gasps. Her eyes traveled over Dean, the knife, and finally on Sam. She said nothing, Sam didn't think she could, but her eyes said it all, pleading and apologetic before they slid closed for the last time.

Sam wasn't aware he was speaking; he didn't know what he was saying. All he knew was that one minute he was holding Rachel, trying desperately to wake her up, begging her to come back and the next, Dean was beside him, speaking words that didn't register. Frustration began to build, the girl in his arms remaining stubbornly unresponsive although the blood continued to flow.

"Sam." Dean's voice finally broke through, "Sam, I'm sorry, but it's too…"

"No." Sam was surprised at how rough his voice sounded, "Don't tell me it's too late. She's not dead, not really. She'll come back, she always does!" Dean looked agonized as he forced himself to say,

"Sam, she's not coming back this time." Sam's hazel eyes passed over the knife in Dean's hand and it clicked.

"Dean, tell me you didn't." The knife clattered to the floor and Dean hung his head, tears beginning to form. He didn't answer. He didn't have to; the overwhelmingly guilty and ashamed silence was all Sam needed. He buried his face in her hair and cried, slowly rocking her back and forth; Dean silent and grieving beside him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dean realized that they were both soaked in blood. He mumbled something to Sam about getting the medical supplies from the Impala. Sam didn't look up, or give any sign that he'd even heard his brother speak. Dean walked in silence, the last few moments of Rachel's life playing over and over again. The last few moments of the life he'd taken; the life of his best friend. He grabbed the medical kit and slammed the trunk shut, with more force than necessary. As he walked back to the house, he scrubbed a hand over his face, accidentally streaking it with blood. He tried to regain his composure; he could grieve later, right now Sam was an emotional wreck with a bullet-wound.

Dean walked into the room with the blood-spattered walls. Sam hadn't moved an inch. The room was deceptively quiet and Dean had started to wonder if Sam had fallen unconscious. Upon closer inspection, he saw that Sam's eyes were open, but barely and his mouth moving, whispering words of comfort to deaf ears.

"Sam?" Sam finally raised his head, his face devoid of emotion. Taking that as an invitation to continue, Dean hesitantly knelt down beside his brother and opened the first-aid kit. "You have a bullet-wound." still no response. "I'm going to have to get it out and probably stitch it up ok?" Sam looked away and down to Rachel again. Hoping Sam had taken that in and wouldn't punch him in the face (although Dean felt he'd deserve it), he took out the scissors and the tweezers. Sam flinched at the initial touch, but allowed Dean to remove the bullet and clean his shoulder. The peroxide burned, but Sam barely felt it. He winced once or twice as Dean stitched up the hole but he remained unresponsive otherwise. Dean thankfully, though emotionally scarred had only a spectacular array of bruises and cuts to tend to. They could wait, but now came the tricky part.

"We can't stay here, Sammy. We have to go back before the cops come."

"Fine," Sam mumbled, startling Dean. "You leave and I'll stay." Before Dean could respond, Sam spoke again,

"I'm not leaving her Dean, I won't." Dean sighed in frustration, although he had anticipated this to be difficult.

"Sam, think of it this way, if the police find us here, they're going to want to take Rachel away from you," Sam growled "and examine her for cause of death. I don't think you want that, so we can either let the cops find us, or we leave and have a quiet funeral for her somewhere private." Sam sighed in defeat.

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Sam insisted on both carrying Rachel to the car, despite his injured shoulder and on burying her, rather than cremating her. They took her deep into the forest, where her resting place was unlikely to be disturbed. They dug her grave in silence, focusing on their task, the one last favour they could do her. Lowering Rachel's body into the simple coffin and nailing it shut was one of the hardest things either of them had to do. After filling in the grave, Sam cut a wooden cross and jammed it into the dirt. They stood in silence; neither Winchester had anything to say.

The car ride back to the motel was silent. Sam looked out the window, his mind wandering back to just a day earlier when the three of them were speeding down the long, empty road, blasting music and singing along. The memory flashed back to reality. Dean fought hard to focus on the road; his mind too was taking a trip down memory lane. They passed dinky looking diner and Dean was reminded of Rachel's dinner with Acne-boy, her good-natured threats on his life for leaving her there. Throwing a pen at his head, teasing each other incessantly; he'd give almost anything to have that back.

The locked door to the motel seemed like a cruel joke; the flimsy lock wouldn't protect them from anything worth fearing. There was no comfort in this room, the extra duffel bag practically screaming that its owner was never setting foot in this room again. Both brothers sat.

"Dean, how could you do it?" Dean winced; he had anticipated that question, but it wouldn't make answering any less painful. Sam didn't sound angry, but that was not altogether reassuring.

"She asked me to."

"_Dean, you have to promise me something." Rachel looked at him anxiously, Dean hesitant to respond._

"_I'm going to do everything I possibly can to stop it from coming to this, but if things don't go the way I plan…" Rachel paused and swallowed. "If it comes down to saving me or Sam, I want you to choose Sam, even if it kills me." Dean stepped back, shaking his head._

"_Why do people keep asking me to kill them?" Dean almost screamed in frustration._

"_You went to Hell for him Dean! If you don't stop me, your sacrifice, those years of torment will all be for nothing!" Rachel seethed, but calmed herself down._

"_Please Dean, promise me." She met Dean's green eyes, desperately. Finally he sighed,_

"_I promise."_

_Sam stormed out the door and to the car. Dean looked back at Rachel,_

"_Are you sure about this?" Rachel nodded solemnly,_

"_Remember what I said; even if it kills me." Dean looked torn, but nodded and walked outside, not seeing Rachel wipe a lone tear off her face._

"I'm sorry man…" Dean trailed off, unable to finish the sentence; everything sounded either childish or defensive. Sam covered his eyes with his hand and breathed deeply.

"Sam, say something, please?" The lights flickered, putting the brothers instantly on their guard each grabbing a gun. Someone, Sam figured Dean, cleared their throat. It was the small female voice that caused Sam to whip his head around and drop his weapon in shock.

"Hi guys…"

Her image flickered before becoming fully corporeal. Both brothers were in shock, not quite sure what to make of this. They had buried her little over an hour ago, yet here she was in their motel room. She took a step forward and Dean tensed up, the wary soldier in him coming into effect.

"Prove it's you." He demanded. Rachel stopped, a smile crossing her no longer scarred features.

"You sure you want me to do that?" Dean and Sam both nodded. Rachel giggled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Sam Winchester cries his way through sex." Dean laughed out loud and put down his gun while Sam turned red. "Sorry Sam, had to do it."

"So what are you doing here?" Dean couldn't help but ask. The smile slipped from Rachel's face.

"You didn't think I'd leave without saying goodbye did you? We all know how well that goes over." She said it with a laugh, but she wasn't actually joking at all. "And plus, Castiel said to take all the time I needed." She grinned at the mention of the angel's name. Angels, it seemed, did have a degree of compassion.

Sam didn't realize he had stood up until he had walked over to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her, pleased when he could. She hugged back, burying her head in Sam's shoulder like she always had when she needed comfort. Before long, both had begun to cry, tears staining the other's clothing. Rachel pulled away slowly; there were things she had to say.

"Sam, don't be mad at Dean. I practically forced him to promise." Sam smiled sadly; he knew that feeling all too well.

"If I know you boys, you're both probably feeling pretty guilty. But the thing is, you don't have to worry about me, I did what I wanted to do. I stopped Lilith from killing you, Sam." Understanding flashed across Sam's face as he remembered Lilith's cry of rage when she had hit his shoulder rather than his forehead.

"You did that?" Sam asked in awe. Rachel nodded, smiling again.

"Yep, and it wasn't easy. But all I knew was that if someone was dying it wasn't going to be you." She stepped away and made her way to Dean, wrapping her arms around him. Dean once again returned the hug unabashedly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She whispered. Dean didn't know what to say to that; 'you're welcome' hardly seemed appropriate. He finally settled on,

"You're really ok with this?" Rachel nodded again, her smile growing.

"You guys saved my life over two years ago. I decided long before now that I'd be happy to die for you. You've done so much for me; please don't blame yourselves for the way it turned out. I was happiest when I was with you. Don't forget that." She placed a hand on Dean's cheek. "Ok?" Dean nodded, fighting back tears of his own. Breathing deeply, she went back to Sam, who raised his arms. She instantly melted into him, enjoying his scent, feeling his touch, savouring the last moments she had with this man for who knows how long.

"I never loved anyone else after I met you." Sam pressed his lips against Rachel's. Silently cursing his need for air, Sam drew away.

"I'll never forget you Rach, not ever." Rachel wiped the tears from Sam's cheeks.

"I'm gonna miss both of you so much." She gave Sam another kiss, before backing away. It was now or never.

"I'm ready." Rachel said, seemingly to no one before the Winchester's realized that she was speaking to Castiel. She turned around, tears streaming down her cheeks but she was smiling happily. A soft golden light filled the room, almost blinding, but still pleasant and warm. Within a few moments, Rachel's spirit had faded away entirely and the room was dark once again.

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"Sammy?"

"Yeah Dean?" replied Sam, not taking his eyes off the spot where Rachel had stood.

"What's the plan?" Sam turned slowly, his expression no longer one of agonized regret, but still a long way from alright.

"Head out, find Lilith and rip her to shreds." This wasn't the answer Dean had been hoping for, but he was beyond arguing. They packed up what was left of their things in silence. They had been driving for little over half an hour before Dean broke the silence.

"She's ok you know." Sam looked away from the window he had been staring out of.

"What?"

"Rachel. Nothing can hurt her, she's safe now. You don't have to worry about her anymore." Sam nodded slowly before turning back to the window. He said it so quietly, Dean almost missed it,

"I know." Sam's eyes stared blankly out at the dark stretches of forest. _Dean's right_, Sam thought, _Wherever Rachel is, it's gotta be better than this place._ Just knowing that she was at peace, finally at rest from the life hunter's led, no longer suffering gave Sam a sense of justice. Sam closed his eyes and breathed deeply, getting a moment of rest himself.

**END**

AN: That's it folks! Man, I'm going to miss this story. Thank you to all the readers who reviewed and favourited, that was a really big help!

- Shooshkipoo


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